


BoneAche

by flamingspiders



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-07 01:45:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5438888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingspiders/pseuds/flamingspiders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to post-game Undertale. Only a couple of years have passed since the Underground fused with the surface, and there is still public segregation towards the monsters. There are still some areas that were unsafe for monsters to visit because of too many fearful humans, and vice versa.<br/>But there is one skeletal monster, who although vulnerable, stands powerful above the rest. His intimate knowledge of the universe is making it hard for him to live a normal life. He starts seeing things in his dreams that aren't--no, can't be--reality, and his powers are getting out of control.<br/>You're an aspirational human college student hoping for a shot in the world of monsters and politics, and you just so happen to move in with this super powerful monster (alongside his spaghetti-loving brother). What will happen when you discover this monster's secret, and possibly his feelings towards you?</p><p>((This was originally posted on Wattpad by me, but I'm transferring it over slowly but surely.))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Offer

_Orientation is today. Orientation is today. Orientation is TODAY!_ you thought to yourself for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Excitement was bubbling from your pores.

You slipped off your pajamas and pulled on a bra, some leggings, boots, a plain black t-shirt, and your new favorite sweatshirt. It was chunky, purple, and had two white U's looped together on the front of it. This was your new school's logo, for Underground University. Today would be your first time visiting campus, and although you was anxious as hell, you wanted to make sure today was a good day. You had woken up early, done your hair and makeup perfectly, and just was excited to get on campus. You took one last look in the full-length mirror and did a twirl. No matter what you looked like, though, your biggest insecurity was still more than prominent.

It wasn't your hair, which was almost waist-length and dark red. It wasn't your weight, because you liked being a little curvy. It wasn't your ghostly pale skin, your super-short height, or the fact that you liked having piercings. It was the fact that you were  _human_ , and would be the first human to attend Underground University.

Peace had come to the humans and monsters only a couple years ago and everything seemed to be going okay in terms of the political stances on the intertwining of races. But seeing as UU (Underground University) was so occupied with monsters, most humans hadn't even thought about applying. Though the school had been open for about two years, you were the first human to apply and be admitted. And you already knew what you wanted to do: you wanted monsters to be able to live in FULL peace with the humans. Humans already deal with their own forms of racism, so throwing an entirely different intelligent species into the mix would be quite a bridge to build. There were still groups of people who wouldn't trust monsters, or thought poorly of them. And you wanted to show those people that they were wrong. Going into politics is what you wanted to do, and you wanted to make sure that the unfair treatment of monsters was no longer a problem.

You shook your head. Those times and hopes were a decent way off. Right now, you needed to focus on the fact that today was the first day you would ever be setting foot on campus. You adjusted your nose stud in the mirror before looking over at the digital clock beside the bed. 7:40 AM.  _Shit, and I wanted to be early!_ you thought angrily.

Stuffing all of your necessities into a purse and a (strange looking) bagel from the breakfast buffet into your mouth, you left your hotel in a hurry. It was around a fifteen-minute walk west from this snowy town to the university. You plugged your headphones into your phone and trudged through the snow. Shivering slightly, you shoved your hands deeper into your sweatshirt pocket.

You were almost on campus when you were overcome with the chilling feeling that someone was watching you. You spotted something out of the corner of your eye. You glanced over; it was a hooded figure directly across the road from you, and something was emitting an ominous bluish glow underneath the hood...

A large truck passed by, and when you looked back the figure had disappeared.  _Odd. I must've imagined it._

But even if you hadn't, your upcoming busy day pushed the hooded figure far from your mind.

 

~~~

 

It was a long day, to say the least. What with the campus tour, registering for classes, and a handful of information sessions, you were already exhausted and it was barely past three. The stares of all of the monsters and their families were really weighing down on you. You knew coming into this that you would stand out a bit, so you would just need to grow used to it. You heaved a sigh and made your way to the campus library you had been shown on the tour earlier.

You also have a  _much_ bigger problem: you still needed to find somewhere to live. Due to "safety hazards", you weren't allowed to stay in the dormitories offered by the university. Though that was kind of understandable, it still left you in quite the predicament. Over the course of about an hour and a half, you browsed some local websites and posted some ads. You even typed up a small poster and the sweet, warty librarian let you print a few copies of it for free.

Huffing and trudging through the snow, you clutched the posters to your chest. You tacked one up near each of the main dining halls, one near each of the dormitories, and proceeded to head into town. Your breath was cloudy and hot as you posted some on telephone posts you passed by.

Of course, you were dumb enough not to wear gloves and your hands were freezing. You decide this would be your last stop before heading back to the hotel. You shivered slightly as you approached the next telephone pole.

_FWUMP._

As if out of nowhere, a monster had appeared. You ran smack into him. You fell backwards into the snow, already blushing in humiliation. "S-sorry, I didn't even see you there," you stuttered. Flustering, you got up and started gathering your remaining posters.

The monster grinned at you. He was unlike any monster you had seen before, apparently...a skeleton? He was short, almost as short as you, and wore a large, poofy jacket over a white t-shirt, with basketball shorts and slippers. Inside of his eye sockets seemed to be little lights that acted as pupils of some sort, showing where he was looking. "no worries, kiddo," he chuckled, reaching down to help you. "i'm known to knock the ladies off of their feet." You half smiled at his pun, still blushing profusely from falling on your ass. You held out your hand to get the posters he had collected from the snow, but he seemed to be staring at them quite pointedly. "you're jay then, right? like it says here on the poster?" he asked. You nodded. He casually pocketed one of them and gave the rest back to you with a questionable look. "cool to meet you. my bro loves humans."

You shrugged. "They can be decent when they try," you replied.

"what are you out here for?"

"I needed to put these posters up as soon as I could. I'm still out of a place to live," you said quickly. You were shivering. The skeleton started to chuckle, and his eye sockets changed shapes slightly to seem as if he were raising his nonexistent eyebrows.

"i meant out here in a town with so many monsters in it. there hasn't been much...human integration here." You opened your mouth to tell him, but he added, "that's besides the point. you look like you're  _chilled to the bone_. hehe. c'mon, i know a place." Somehow, one of his eye sockets closed in a wink. He began walking further into town, as if you were to follow him.  _It's not like I have anything else to do today,_  you thought.  _Plus, this almost counts as someone showing me around town._

This skeleton guy and you walked a couple blocks in silence, but he held a big smile on his face the whole time. He then escorted you into a small pub-like restaurant that was packed full of monsters already. This restaurant, "Grillby's", had a pretty homey feeling, and the air was thick with heat. It was a cute little place. Luckily there were two barstools open, and the skeleton ordered a couple servings of fries for the both of you once you sat down. He had addressed the bartender, a flame-looking entity named Grillby, directly, so he probably knew this place pretty well.

"i'm sans, by the way," he said, turning towards you. "i don't ever think i introduced myself." He pulled out the poster he had pocketed earlier. "this is an odd coincidence," he said, nodding at the piece of paper, "considering i responded to an online ad earlier today by someone else by the name of jay." He put the poster back into his pocket.

You felt your eyes grow wide in surprise. You quickly pulled out your phone and opened up your email, finding that you did indeed have a new email from someone named 'boneman36'. You turned your phone screen towards him. "I assume that you're 'boneman36', then?" You laughed a bit as he confirmed. "This is quite the coincidence," You giggled. Grillby showed up with our orders.

"yea," Sans chuckled. He paused. "so, what are you doing out here again, kid?"

"School. I start up classes in a little over a week."

"school? huh. like underground university?" You nodded in response, your mouth full of fries. "sounds like a good time. and you can't live on campus?"

You swallowed. "Nah, being the only human going there, they say they're worried about my safety. Understandable." You shrugged and popped another couple of fries into your mouth.

"well. me and my brother have an open room in our place, and we can offer it for pretty cheap. it's actually pretty close by." Sans was holding a bottle of ketchup pretty tightly in his hand, but wasn't pouring them on his fries.

You smiled. "Yea, that sounds pretty cool! Your brother sounds like a nice guy, the way you talk about him. Is there any chance I could come and see it?"

"yea, my brother is really great." A look of admiration came over his face when he talked about his brother. He paused for a second, off in thought. "and of course you can see the place. we would just have to clear some stuff out of it real quick, wouldn't want you  _mess_ -taking it for the wrong place." He chortled at his own joke. "i guess you could drop by tomorrow afternoon, if that works?"

"Sure, sounds good by me!"

He quickly jotted down his address on a napkin and stood up. "you can have those, by the way," he said, motioning to the counter. You look at his fries, which were untouched, and look back to thank him-but he was gone.

"Uh...okay?" you said to yourself. You got a box to go for the fries, snagged the napkin, and practically skipped back to the hotel.  _I have an offer!_

 

~~~

 

The following morning, you popped the remaining fries in the hotel room's microwave for a quick breakfast and got a large cup of coffee from the lobby. You quickly checked your email for any more offers. 

None. 

On one hand it struck you as kind of weird ( _If these ads were easy enough for Sans to reply to so quickly, is no one else looking for a possible resident?_ ), you brushed it off and hopped in the shower. You got through your shower-ballad, dried off as best as possible, and pulled on some jeans, boots, a long-sleeved white shirt and a leather jacket. Your hair was naturally curly and you weren't really in the mood to tame it, so you just plopped a black beanie on top of it. You decided to browse some social media websites for a bit, and then you would head out early to explore town more before dropping by Sans' place.

You left the room at noon.  _Hopefully I'm able to find a place to grab some lunch while exploring_. You snuggled your face into your gigantic chunky scarf, happy to see that the snow was melting a bit. Even though it was the end of August, apparently it sometimes snowed earlier around here.

In town, you were able to find a cute little coffee shop, a quaint little bookstore, and a sandwich place that served things that were semi-human. It was a little past one-thirty when you started to head to Sans' house. You pulled up GPS on your phone and walked over. The place was only five minutes away from campus, so it wouldn't be a bad daily walk for classes.

You walked down the wet pavement looking at all of the homes crowded together. There would be no yard space, but that's okay. On the third house on the right was the address that Sans had given. You took a deep breath, and knocked.

 


	2. Situated

You jumped when a sound like screeching echoed through the house inside. It got exponentially louder as the person--well, monster--doing the screeching opened the front door. It was another skeleton of a monster, but this one was almost seven feet tall and a lot more upfront of a demeanor. He had a reddish-orange scarf draped across his collarbones and large boxing gloves, along with a white shirt that barely came past his ribs and some blue shorts. His jaw was wide and the screaming trailed off, followed by a deep breath, and then:

"HELLO, HUMAN-THAT-WILL-POSSIBLY-SHARE-THE-SAME-LIVING-SPACE! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WELCOMING YOU INTO THIS HOME!" This Papyrus guy then turned his head around, then yelled (somehow) louder into the house, "SANS! THE HUMAN IS HERE! I WILL SHOW THEM AROUND! AND GIVE THEM THE GRAND TOUR!"

"Oh, uh, hi there Papyrus. I'm Jay," you murmur. He was very...loud.

"HELLO, JAY!" he yelled accordingly. He held the door open to let you inside--you, however, barely took a step before colliding face-first with his ribcage. Rubbing your forehead with an apology, you looked at what was stopping him. He was pointing at the door. "THIS! THIS IS THE FRONT DOOR, THE ENTRYWAY TO THE HOME!" You smiled. He was very enthusiastic, but didn't seem stupid. He gave a thorough explanation of the home. In total there was an hour of yelling and pointing out random objects that probably did not need to be pointed out.

First was the living room, which consisted of a large TV (next to it was a random sock with a little flag sticking out of it...?), a squashy-looking couch, a couple armchairs, and a coffee table. Then was the kitchen attached to the living room, which was normal in every single way. A large pot was boiling over on the stove, and a slightly rancid smell coming from a smaller pot on the table. Papyrus had described this as "THE SPAGHETTI FOR THE VISITING HUMAN, NYEHEHEH". You forced a smile as you did your best to mouth-breathe.

Next was your room, which was off the other side of the living room next to the stairs. It was small but cozy. It had a little window looking out to the street. The melting snow looked really pretty. It also had a small bathroom attached--and as a perspective house-renter, that is a definite plus.

Then Papyrus took you to the basement, which was basically barren besides a few cardboard boxes here and there, probably from when they moved in. Finally was Papyrus's room upstairs. He emphasized how cool he was because of his racecar bed, action figures, and singular poster on the wall. Not only that, but he had also apparently posted on his blog (while pointing/yelling at his computer in the corner) about how a human was visiting his home today, and it got: "ONE LIKE! ANOTHER HUMAN LIKES THAT YOU ARE HERE! JUST AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, LIKE THAT YOU ARE HERE!" That made you smile. Papyrus seemed to be a great guy. Besides his volume issue, you didn't think you would mind living with him.

"THE ONLY ROOM YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE IS SANS'," Papyrus announced. "HE IS PRIVATE." He was more yelling at the door, as if trying to tell Sans to come out. You had been there for over an hour now and hadn't seen him, but Papyrus was pretty entertaining so you didn't mind.

"We all need our privacy occasionally, don't we?" you said, starting walking downstairs back into the living room.

"NO, HUMAN-JAY! MY DOOR WILL ALWAYS BE OPEN. YOU CAN GO INTO MY ROOM AND USE MY ACTION FIGURES WHENEVER YOU PLEASE. BECAUSE I, PAPYRUS, AM SO GENEROUS." And he smiled at you. "SPEAKING OF ME BEING GENEROUS, I THINK IT IS TIME FOR ME TO SERVE YOU THE SPAGHETTI!"

"well, pap, i think she may have already eaten." Sans had showed up at your side almost silently. He draped an arm around Papyrus's back. He shot you a wink.

"Damn, Sans, you're right. I'm sorry, Papyrus, but I ate right before coming here! I would love to try your spaghetti another time, though."

"THAT IS ALL RIGHT! I SHALL PUT IT IN THE FREEZER AND IT SHALL BE YOUR WELCOMING MEAL IF YOU DECIDE TO STAY WITH US."

You smiled as best as you could at the thought. Then you turned to Sans. "Hey, so just for reference, do you mind if I take a closer look at the room, maybe taking a couple pictures? For insurance and stuff. If there's any damage it's good to document it before you move in and whatnot." At you saying this, Papyrus started doing a little jig.

Sans grinned. "of course, kiddo. do whatever ya want."

"SO YOU ARE GREATLY CONSIDERING MOVING IN, YES?" Papyrus began clapping his hands together.

"I'm not gonna lie, I am," you laughed.

After browsing the room again and finding no issues, you were about to head out. Papyrus quickly stopped you. Then he quickly brought his face forward and jabbed you in the shoulder with his forehead. "Wh-what, uhh-"

"THAT IS WHAT YOU DID WHEN YOU FIRST ENTERED! I DID NOT KNOW IF IT WAS A HUMAN SOCIAL CONSTRUCT OF YOURS, BUMPING YOUR FOREHEAD INTO ANOTHER, SO I RETURNED THE FOREHEAD BUMP TO YOU!" You remembered how when you had first come into the house, you had knocked into him in the doorway. He must have thought it was on purpose. You didn't bother to correct him, and instead you giggled. These two seemed like the most unique, yet the most entertaining, pair of brothers you had ever met. You had basically made your decision.

 

~~~

 

It was not two days later that you signed the lease and started bringing your stuff over. It took three trips with your small car, two for furniture and one for the other stuff. You didn't have or need much, but Papyrus was more than happy to help you unload. He brought in your desk, TV stand, TV, and then tried to assemble your bed while you began unpacking the smaller stuff into your dresser. You kept pleasant conversation about how fun it was for him to assemble his racecar bed and how much he enjoyed puzzles. Soon enough Sans dropped in on one of his work breaks and helped you sort through your clothes. However, after a while when he reached into one of the bags and pulled out one of your more...risqué pairs of underwear, and a light blue tinge came across his cheekbones. He shoved it back in the bag and excused himself to go back to work. He murmured "shut up," to you as he stormed by with an embarrassed smile, and you sniggered at him. Papyrus, who seemed to have missed the whole interaction, was confused as to why you was in such a fit of giggles. _Boys,_ you thought, _can get so uncomfortable with the slightest shit._

It didn't take very long to set up the rest of your room. Your bed was on one half of the room, the end of it facing the TV where your gaming stations were already set up. Your desk with your printer was under the window, a perfect view for whenever you needed to study. The walls had posters, a few of your old drawings, and then a couple empty corkboards.

"BUT WHY ARE THE CORKBOARDS EMPTY?" Papyrus asked once the room was finished.

"I like to call those my memory boards," you explained softly. It was something you had done since you were little. "I like to put memorable things, like pictures or tags or something, onto them. That way if I'm feeling down or whatever, I can look at what's on there and it can cheer me up."

"MEMORIES ARE FUN," Papyrus said a bit more quietly. He sighed. He looked down for a second, but then looked over at me and grinned. "WOULD YOU CARE TO TAKE A PICTURE TO COMMEMORATE THIS MOMENT? I CAN ALSO PUT IT ON MY BLOG. I AM LIVING WITH A HUMAN!"

"Sure," you said with a smile. You pulled out your phone and yanked Papyrus closer to you to take a selfie, where you both posed with thumbs-up. He then began to inquire about what these "selfies" were. While you explained, you took the time to print out the picture and tack it onto one of the memory boards. "My first memory here, and it's a pretty good one." You could've sworn you saw Papyrus blush a bit.

To make the moment even better (in his opinion), he heated up the frozen spaghetti he had made. After choking a few bites down, you somehow pulled off a smile and then claimed to be full. After all, you had to go grocery shopping, too, and Papyrus was elated when you asked him to tag along. "AFTER ALL, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT OTHER FOODS YOU LIKE! EVEN IF SPAGHETTI IS THE BEST NO MATTER WHAT."

It was a little bit of a drive to reach the closest supermarket that provided all-human foods. _I guess I have to learn to substitute with monster foods if I don't want to drive so long,_ you thought casually. During the drive, you listed off foods you wanted to get while Papyrus jotted them down. Monsters had their food mainly for energy, not always for taste. Especially for Sans and Papyrus, where it was still questionable whether they had any sort of digestive tracts or not.

"I DO ENJOY YOUR VEHICLE," Papyrus said after you arrived, "ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT AS GREAT AS MINE." You rolled your eyes with a smile as he got a cart. He explained his hot-rod car that his friend Undyne was borrowing. You walked down the aisles and showed him all the stuff you were getting. He said he wanted to try some of whatever you were getting/making, so you bought portions enough for two. During the drive back, he told you excessive things about his friend Undyne, who he could not wait for you to meet. It didn't take long to unload the groceries when you got back, for there was a lot of cabinet and fridge space.

"SANS HAS BEEN ABSENT FOR QUITE A LONG TIME TODAY," Papyrus commented. "HE IS USUALLY SUCH A LAZYBONES, TAKING SO MANY BREAKS. GOOD FOR HIM, ACTUALLY DOING HIS WORK! I MUST BE RUBBING OFF ON HIM."


	3. Friends...?

It was actually a little while before you saw Sans; it seemed whenever you were in the house he was out or in his room, or whenever you were out Papyrus claimed that he saw him. The weekend flew by and school started, but you still didn't see Sans around. Papyrus and you spent some time together, and it was enjoyable. You and he became friends very quickly. You asked him if maybe Sans had something against you or if you had done something to tick him off.

"MY BROTHER HAS NO REASON TO BE ANGRY WITH YOU! YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG." He scoffed at the thought. You were going to ask, 'then why has he ignored me for the past week when he was the one who technically invited me here' but thought better of it. Papyrus knew him probably better than anyone, so if he thinks that Sans isn't mad at you, he's probably right. You brushed it off.

"So what do you want to do tonight? I finished my homework early." School was going...okay. You were still sort of an outcast, being the only human and all. But people sat by you all the same, so it wasn't like they were directly ignoring you. You just never had anyone to really talk to. Papyrus was not the best person to discuss it with because he would just say, "THEN TALK TO THEM!", when that was a bit harder for you already being a little on the shy side.

"WHY DON'T WE WATCH A MOVIE? YOU PULLED ONE UP THE OTHER DAY ON THAT ONE...NETWEB SITE OR WHATEVER. YES! I SHALL MAKE POPCORN AND YOU DECIDE ON A MOVIE." He tossed some of your popcorn in the microwave as you pulled up a movie on the TV in the living room.

"Yo, Papyrus, do you like horror movies?" you called to him. They were your favorite, but he was the one who usually picked the movies.

"I HAVE NEVER TAKEN THE TIME TO SEE ONE."

"Well, today is your lucky day! This one is about..." you pulled up the description, "...a dude who likes tearing people apart with chainsaws. Let's do this!" You yelled excitedly, pumping your fist in the air.

"WHY WOULD HE USE A CHAINSAW? WHAT IS HIS PURPOSE FOR TEARING PEOPLE APART?"

"We don't know, do we? That's why we've gotta watch to find out!" You stood up to turn the lights off and sit next to Papyrus on the squashy couch, helping yourself to a handful of buttery popcorn.

It wasn't even twenty minutes into the movie-so about the second death scene-when you felt the couch indent on the other side of you. You look over and almost jump out of your pants. Sans had showed up silently and taken a seat beside you. You let out a little scream and bump Papyrus, who scrambles not to spill popcorn out of the bowl. "hey, bud. didn't mean to scare ya."

Your pulse was racing. You had even somehow in that short time clutched your hands towards your chest. "You totally did, psh," you mumble under your breath as you compose yourself. He sniggers, looking like the Cheshire cat as he does so, and scoots closer to you to get a handful of popcorn from Pap's bowl.

"BROTHER! I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE HERE. YOU HAVE BEEN OFF WORKING SO HARD! YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS MOVIE WITH US, LET IT BE YOUR TIME OFF!"

Sans shook his head. "i mean, i've gotta work early tomorrow..."

"Nah, c'mon! Stay! This one looks like it's going to be good." You nudged him with your elbow.

He rolled his eyes and put his hands up in submission. "fine, fine. if you guys insist."

The movie moved at a snail's pace, and you were one hundred percent wrong in predicting it was going to be good. It was SUPER crappy, and the couch wasn't exactly large enough for all three of you. On one side of you, you had Sans's poofy coat pressing up against you and making you slightly sweaty, while on the other side you could feel Papyrus's bones shuddering. He was probably terrified. For his sake, you decided to crack a joke. "Haha, of course the girl has to run away through a forest, right?" No response. "Ten dollars says she trips." And, of course, she does.

Momentarily forgetting his fear, he looked at you dumbfounded. "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BEFORE?!"

"nah man. she read the future," Sans chimed in. He sounded really sleepy.

"YOU CAN READ THE FUTURE?"

"I most certainly can _not_ read the future. That was just predictable." Yet you caught Papyrus looking at you oddly during the rest of the movie.

Sans ended up falling asleep so Papyrus carried him on his back to his room. Just as you were getting ready for bed, you heard a knock on your door. You open it to see a very flustered Pap.

"GOOD EVENING, HUMAN."

"Good evening. What's up?"

"I. UM." He paused. "I CANNOT SEEM TO FALL ASLEEP."

"Oh, damn, okay. Is there anything I can do to help?" You smiled at him. He was quivering. He was obviously scared. You made a mental note not to watch horror movies with him anymore.

"WELL. UM. USUALLY SANS DOES THIS FOR ME, BUT...WOULD YOU...WOULD YOU MIND READING ME A STORY BEFORE I GO TO BED?" You nodded and turned out your light while leaving your room.

"I gotcha, buddy. I'll be up in just a second, I'll make you some honeyed milk."

"AND WHAT IS THIS DELICACY YOU SPEAK OF?"

"It's just something that helps me fall asleep sometimes. I'll meet you up in your room." He goes upstairs while you head to the kitchen and heat up some milk, pour in some honey, and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. You brought it upstairs while blowing on it gently. Papyrus was sitting in his racecar bed, clutching a book tightly to his chest, his face beaming. You pull up his computer chair and handed him the drink. In exchange he handed you the book, "Fluffy Bunny".

"THIS HUMAN-DRINK IS INDEED VERY DELICIOUS!" Papyrus announced, staring at it with astonishment. "CAN YOU MAKE THIS...MORE OFTEN?" You say yes and begin reading the story to him. He knocks out in only ten minutes.

You took a second to observe his sleeping skeletal figure. It was a little unnerving. He was completely still. This motionlessness was beyond unsettling. No rhythmic breathing, no eyeballs moving behind his eyelids, no muscles twitching-but then again, he had no eyeballs or muscles. You felt as if...as if you were staring at an actual skeleton. You shook your head, tossing the thought out of your mind. You tuck him in and take his empty mug downstairs to put into the sink. While walking back to you room, you could've sworn you saw a bluish glow coming from upstairs. When you turned to look, it disappeared like you had imagined it.

 

~~~

 

You were awoken the next morning by Papyrus's booming voice. Nothing new. He was talking about this Undyne chick to Sans, how he was going to go and cook with her all day. You put on some sweats and your hair up into a bun to go greet them. They sounded like they were disagreeing about something. You had never heard them do so before. "SO, BECAUSE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE HANGING OUT WITH UNDYNE ALL DAY, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THE HUMAN SAFE."

"yo pap, she'll be fine by herself-"

"BUT SHE IS VULNERABLE AND SHE IS MY FRIEND. YOU SHOULD BE HER FRIEND, TOO."

"Woah, woah there Papyrus," you said while coming out into the living room, "no need to get your _bones rattled_." Sans chuckled at your pun. "I'm not some helpless sack of meat being sent to the dogs-"

"YOU ARE MY FRIEND. IF ANY DOGS ATTACK YOU, I SHALL SAVE YOU. AND IF I AM NOT THERE, SANS COULD PROBABLY DO IT. NOT AS GOOD A JOB AS I COULD DO, THOUGH."

"But that's my point! I'm not being attacked right now, nor do I expect to be anytime soon. You don't have to force Sans to hang out with me if he doesn't want to." Sans looked slightly embarrassed, and Papyrus seemed off-put. "It's seriously fine. I'm not a child, I can watch out for myself. No worries." Papyrus opened his mouth to speak again but just at that moment his phone began to ring.

"HELLO? YES, UNDYNE! I SHALL BE OUT IN JUST A SECOND!" He shot Sans a strange look, then quickly ran out the door. _Actually_ ran out of the door. At a full sprint. You're surprised he even could shut it behind himself. This left you with an embarrassed Sans who was purposefully not looking at you.

"Aiight, well, I'm going to make some pancakes. You want any?" you asked him. It was a Saturday, so you didn't really have much to do. Taking some extra time on breakfast sounded good.

"uh, sure, i guess." He still wasn't meeting your eye. What was up with him?

You whipped some boxed batter into a bowl with some water, then poured it onto the hot griddle. The smell must have wafted into the living room because you heard the patter of Sans' slippers. For him being able to move so silently at will, you guessed he was being purposeful in making so much sound. "You want blueberries in yours?" you asked him over your shoulder.

"yeah, that sounds _berry_ delicious, hehe." You heard the scratch of the chair being pulled out as he sat down at the table. You turned to look at him. He was wearing a printed t-shirt with the words "Cool Story, Skele-Bro" on it, along with some long striped pajama pants. At a closer look, it seemed like his eye sockets were set deeper than before. It made him look tired. Maybe it was a lazy Saturday for him, too.

You brought over the plate of piping-hot pancakes along with some butter and syrup. "These are on the house," you said, impersonating a waitress with a wink. He grinned and began to spread butter on them. You made coffee and poured some for the both of you. Then you got yourself a plate and sat down. You both ate in silence for a couple minutes.

"hey, uhh," he mumbled, his mouth full of pancakes. He swallowed. "about earlier...pap told me you thought i had a _bone to pick_ with you." Even when trying to be serious he was cracking puns. "it's not that i don't want to hang out with you..." You shook your head.

"Nah, man. No worries. We all have our own lives, and you're busy. Pap was telling me how you have three jobs! That's ridiculous! I'm already having a hard enough time balancing school. Plus, look at us, we're hanging out right now." You shot him a smile. He blushed slightly.

"no worries?"

"No worries."

You continued with some lighthearted chitchat over the rest of your breakfast. Something was still a bit off about him, though. You downed your coffee and looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost eleven. "Shoot, I've got some homework to do," you groaned. You started to get up, and Sans got up, too. "This was really nice, though. I'm glad we got to do this," you said sweetly.

"defs," he muttered, scratching his skull. "what are you doing today after your homework?"

"Eh, nothing, I don't think. Maybe play some video games. Wanna join me?" With that, his awkwardness dispersed a bit. He smiled and winked.

"you bet. good luck being all studious." He gave you a thumbs up.

You worked on your horrendous homework for around four hours. Writing a paper and doing calculus was no walk in the park. You could hear the TV on in the other room. With a huff, you decided you were done.

Sans had fallen asleep on the couch in his pajamas. He was so tired all the time. You grabbed an extra blanket from your room and laid it over him as he snored. _He's so busy all the time, I'm glad he can take a day off._ You were still a bit creeped out by the stillness while the skeletons slept. Then you went back into your room, closed your door, and plugged in your headset to start owning some noobs online.

Two hours passed and you were kicking ass. You let loose a large yawn. More coffee seemed like the solution. You took off your headset and turned towards the door, and was surprised to see Sans propped up against the doorframe. "you should really _throw those guys a bone,_ you're killin them so badly." He was grinning and fully dressed. He looked less tired, too.

"Yea, but even the victorious need coffee breaks. You want some?"

"nah. you really like coffee, don't you?"

"Mmmm. I'm gonna go make myself some. You can sign in as second player if you want. The extra controller is behind the TV, I believe." You came back into the room not even five minutes later to find Sans plopped down on the floor in front of your bed in a round of the game, beating your high score. "Well, shit. You're good at this." He let out a triumphant cry and pumped his fist in the air while single-handedly blowing up the other team's base.

"hehe, i totally _boned_ them. c'mon, let's get these suckers." He had an odd gleam in his eye. And so for the next hour, you laughed together as you kicked the crap out of everyone. It was cool spending time with Sans. He seems so stressed with work and so tired all the time; it was cool that he was taking some time off. Relaxed Sans seemed to be the happiest.

The bedroom suddenly slammed open. "GOOD EVENING, HUMAN. I HAVE RETURNED WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SPAGHETTI. UNDYNE HAS SOME BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO IN REARRANGING THE FURNITURE WE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE SET AFLAME-" (he had shifty eyes as he said this) "-BUT SHE LOOKS FORWARD TO MEETING THE HUMAN I LIVE WITH." Papyrus was wearing his "cool bro" t-shirt and basketball shorts, along with his hat that looked like a basketball. He had a large pot in each of his hands, probably the 'spaghetti'. He looked down at Sans, realizing just now that he was in the room with you. Then Papyrus looked at you. Then he looked at Sans. Then he looked at you. Sans again. You again. Sans again. "SANS! HAVE YOU BEFRIENDED JAY?"

Sans chuckles. "well, yeah. didn't want her to get _lonely_ while you were gone. hehe." Papyrus narrowed his eyes at such a bad pun, but looked joyous nonetheless. He went to go put the spaghetti in the fridge, and Sans put down his controller. "this was, ah, really cool. thanks for this." He smiled at you and started to leave.

"Yeah, no problem. Anytime you want to chill, let me know." You paused, suddenly thinking of a joke. "Hey, Sans." He stopped.

"sup?"

"Why can't you pick on a skeleton?"

"hehe. i dunno, why?"

"Because nothing gets _under their skin._ " He laughed halfheartedly and turned to head out. Apparently, something was under _his_ skin. He gave you a thumbs-up and walked upstairs. "let's hang out again soon."

Not a second later you were joined by Papyrus, wanting you to teach him how to play the game so that next time you could all play it together. Though you were worried about Sans, it wouldn't be right to pry. They were his demons to deal with. You didn't even know him that well. You wanted to help, but maybe now wasn't the time.

At around ten, Pap decided it was time for him to go to sleep. He asked you to tuck him in and read to him again, because it seemed as if Sans had gone to sleep. "COULD YOU MAKE THAT DELECTABLE BEVERAGE AGAIN?"

"Of course. I'll be up in a bit." You made him a mug of honeyed milk, read to him until he fell asleep, and went to go wash the dish. You weren't really all that tired. As you walked back to your room, you saw a bluish glow coming from underneath Sans' door upstairs. Maybe he, too, couldn't sleep. You quickly made him a mug of honeyed milk. The glow seemed to be growing brighter and brighter; you could see it very clearly even from in the kitchen.

You went up the stairs while clutching the warm mug in your hands. His door seemed to be emitting the bluish light. _What show is he watching?_ You knocked lightly. "Sans? Are you awake?"

The light briefly brightened, and then disappeared to a faint glow. It was as if he had been shining a flashlight at the door and turned it a different direction. The door swung open aggressively. "what do you want."

Although his voice was calm, he looked far from it. His skull was drenched in sweat, his brow furrowed, and he looked furious. Malicious, even. On top of all that, his left eye was glowing a bright blue and was smoking. His stare dug into the depths of your soul. The room behind him was pitch black. You had never seen him like this before. He was...frightening.

"I, uhh, brought you this." You held out the mug to him with shaking hands. He looked down at what you were offering him. "I-I thought you maybe couldn't sleep." Ever so slowly, he took it from your hands. Sans looked back up at you. His eye stopped smoking. Something changed. He went from looking malevolent to composed.

"...thank you." Though his words were of thanks, his tone was still dark. He took a step backwards into his room and slammed the door.


	4. Secrets

It was another two weeks before you saw Sans again. This time you could tell he was purposefully avoiding you; even Papyrus caught on. Sans had asked him for your class schedule (which Papyrus had so he could plan your time together accordingly), and only was home during the times in which he was sure you would be gone. If you happened to come home early, he would find a reason to leave before speaking to you or lock himself in his room. It was annoying. He was friendly to you one second, and then rude as hell the next? These spurts of liking you followed by weeks of ignoring you were not your cup of tea.

That upcoming weekend, Papyrus started getting angry, too. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE WRONG TO UPSET HIM IN SUCH A WAY. I HAVE NEVER HEARD HIM SPEAK NEGATIVELY OF YOU, YET HE CONTINUES TO IGNORE YOU."

"Maybe because he knows we are friends. He wouldn't want to offend you by speaking bad of me."

"NO, THAT COULD NOT BE IT. HE IS KNOWLEDGEABLE OF OUR FRIENDSHIP. BUT IF HE HAD A PROBLEM HE WOULD VOICE IT TO ME." He seemed confused, and even a little offended that his brother neglected to talk to him about this whole situation. Suddenly, his face lit up. "BUT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS DEVISED A PLAN." He clapped his hands together. "A PLAN TO GET MY BROTHER TO TALK TO YOU."

Papyrus planted you in front of Sans' door that Saturday. You had your laptop, phone, an outlet, pillows and a blanket. Papyrus even brought you some snacks and sat down next to you. "YOU _WILL_ TALK TO HIM."

"He has made it obvious he doesn't want to talk to me. Why go this far?"

He pats me on the back. "DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR FRIENDS SO EASILY. ESPECIALLY SANS." He sighs. "HE LIKES TO AVOID PROBLEMS FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BEFORE CONFRONTING THEM. IF YOU MAKE HIM FACE YOU HEAD-ON, I THINK YOU WILL HAVE MORE SUCCESS IN COMPARISON TO JUST 'WAITING FOR IT TO PLAY OUT'."

"So...because he is trying _this_ hard to ignore me, I need to try just as hard to talk to him." It wasn't a question, but Papyrus nodded.

"TALKING IT OUT IS ALWAYS THE BEST OPTION."

"You're probably right. Ugh. But I just feel like a creep camping out here in front of his door."

"THEN WE WILL BOTH BE CREEPS, BECAUSE I WILL WAIT HERE WITH YOU." He shot you his biggest smile.

"Thanks, Pap. Seriously, you're a great friend. Thank you."

"I AM INDEED A GREAT FRIEND, AREN'T I? NYEHEHEHEHEH. I AM GLAD TO HAVE YOU AS MY FRIEND AS WELL. AND SANS SHOULD BE TOO! I AM CHEERING YOU ON DURING YOUR ENDEAVOR TO SPEAK WITH HIM."

You and Papyrus waited there almost all day for Sans to show up. All of that time was spent doing homework (Papyrus would chime in what he thought the answers were), watching movies (rom coms were Papyrus' favorite), and listening to music online (Pap liked anything with "THE SCREECHY PRETTY SOUND" in it, AKA the violin). From 8am to 9pm you two sat stagnant in front of Sans' door. Though you wanted him there for the confrontation, Papyrus insisted that he would leave so you and Sans could have a private conversation.

You heard the front door swing open. You looked over the balcony into the living room to see Sans amble inside. He met your gaze and saw you and Papyrus sitting in front of his bedroom. His shoulders heaved with a sigh. Then Sans walked over towards the stairs, but instead of going up them, he sat down in front of your bedroom door. He silently stared at you and Papyrus.

Papyrus gingerly stood up. So did Sans.

Papyrus walked towards the stairs. Sans walked towards the kitchen.

Papyrus walked back towards Sans' room. Sans walked back towards your door.

Papyrus then sprinted towards the stairs. Sans (with much more speed than you expected) sauntered towards the kitchen. It was a classic game of cat-and-mouse. It was quite humorous to watch.

"YOU WILL DISCUSS WITH THE HUMAN AS TO WHY YOU ARE IGNORING HER."

"i dunno what you're talking about."

"YOU DO TOO, SANS, NOW GET OVER HERE."

"...no."

"SANS! GET UP HERE AND DEAL WITH YOUR PROBLEMS!"

"i have no problems."

You felt a surge of confidence and stood up to approach Papyrus. "Hey. It's okay. I'll take it from here." He gave you a look as to say, 'are you sure?', but then went into his own room with a huff.

You took a deep breath and looked down at Sans, who was still standing near the kitchen. You start slowly walking down the stairs. Sans wouldn't move (but he also wouldn't look at you, either). You go and sit down in front of your room. You pat the ground next to you as to offer him to sit, too. He stayed standing and avoided your eye. You frowned. "So actually. What's with you ignoring me?" You weren't accusatory, but dejection could clearly be heard in your voice.

"as i said before, i dunno what you're talking about."

"I think I have the right to call some bullshit there, seeing the position we are in." You scoff. "Why won't you talk to me? What did I do?"

"you didn't...i don't...there's nothing wrong."

"That didn't answer either of my questions. I'm not meaning this to be such an...aggressive confrontation." You stopped talking to see if he would react. He didn't. "I thought we were friends."

"we are." He was a lot more quiet.

"Friends don't purposefully ignore each other for weeks at a time without any explanation," you snapped. "Sorry. I'm just...I'm confused. Papyrus is, too." You paused again. "Wow. I really, _really_ suck at talking about my feelings." You heard Sans chuckle.

"so do i." Then, surprisingly, he came and sat down next to you. He hesitated before speaking. "i've been going through a tough time lately. you seeing me the other night...that was one of my tough times." You heard a soft clacking noise as he twiddled his bony fingers together.

"What's been goin on?"

"i can't...i'm not..." It was obvious he was having a hard time putting words together. "i'm not going to tell you everything, but here's the gist of it." Sans looked at you, the little glints of his eyes sorrowful. "i have to keep a lot of stuff from you and pap. both for my sanity and yours. but lately its been...wearing on me."

 

You did your best to swallow your curiosity. _What did he mean, to protect his sanity and ours? What is he keeping from us?_

"If it's wearing on you that badly, why don't you talk to us about it?"

"it doesn't...it can't work that way." He sounded irritated. "i don't want you guys getting sucked into my problems."

"Isn't that what friends are for, though? Helping each other through their problems?" You scooted closer to him. He was talking more and more softly and it was getting hard to hear him. "Friends are always there for each other, no matter what. We want to help you deal with your demons."

For a split second he looked shocked by what you said. Then he shook his head. "they're something i have to deal with on my own." Sans looked at you and you could've sworn you saw a tear in his eye. It disappeared as he gave you a soft smile. "but i do appreciate the effort. thank you...for being my friend."

You smiled back at him. "You're such a bonehead. You're just lucky your brother convinced me to stick around." He sniggered.

"yea, i guess i am."

Then, as if on cue, Papyrus' door slammed open. "HUMAN! IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION!" Both you and Sans start laughing.

"nah, bro, come on down. we're done talking it out." Sans said this in a friendly way, but with finality, as if you weren't supposed to bring up this subject again. "c'mon jay, let's get your stuff back into your room while pap gets us all some nice cream." ("WE HAVE NICE CREAM?! BROTHER, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?")

After helping you clean out the 'camp-out' area upstairs, Sans helped you bring back your stuff to your room. Then he grabbed your arm to stop you from going back into the living room. "i'm sorry for ignoring you." He was sincere.

You smiled. "No worries."

 

_...but was there really nothing to worry about?_


	5. Robotics

The next few weeks passed by in a breeze. You and Sans were communicating again. You two played video games or watched horror movies whenever you both had some free time. Papyrus was happy as always. School was going well for you; you had even made a few monster friends, and you all would get together on Tuesday nights to study. Things were back to normal.

Or so it seemed.

There was the obvious fact that Sans was hiding something from both you and Papyrus. Knowing this was eating you up from inside. You desperately wanted to know, but you respected Sans enough not to ask. But the times when you would see the bright blue light emitting from Sans' door were becoming more and more frequent. What was going on with his eye, why would it glow like that sometimes? What was going on with him?

And then there was the random shady guy on campus. Every once in a while you would turn a corner or look up from a book and swear you saw a dude in a cloak out of the corner of your eye, but the second you looked back they were gone. You would ask your friends if they had seen it, but of course they hadn't. It was as if you were hallucinating or something. This only happened a few times—four or five at most—but you were usually so distracted by school you forgot about the figure a few minutes later. And it's not like he was posing a threat, anyways.

Besides all that, everything was going peachy. It was nearing the end of September and the weather was getting chillier again (but luckily, no more snow had fallen since that weird week when you first visited).

 

~~~

 

It was super early on a Wednesday morning when you heard a loud rhythmic pounding on the front door. You groaned and turned over under your covers. The knocking wouldn't stop. In fact, it got louder.

You angrily flip the sheets off of you. You look at the digital clock beside your bed. _Who the hell is here at 4 AM?!_

Now to be heard along with the knocking was a very sultry, yet booming, voice. "Helloooooo~~~ Guess who's come to visit~~~"

You heard Papyrus bounding down the stairs (for who else in this house could have such enthusiasm at four in the fucking morning?). You groggily got up and rubbed your eyes. You were NOT a morning person. At all. Waking up any time before 10am was a struggle enough. Plus, you were out late last night at the library with your friends in your study group. This was all just too much, too early.

You opened your door and poked your head out to see just what the heck was going on. You saw Papyrus standing at the door chatting with someone cheerfully, though the door was blocking your view of who it was. You looked up to see that Sans standing in his door as well. He looked as tired as you felt. He noticed you and rolled his eyes with a smile. Apparently he knew who this was.

A figure gracefully soared into the room and struck a pose on the landing. You blinked a few times to take in the fact that, yes, it was indeed a robot. It—no, he—was colored black and grey with lively pink accents. Confidence and style radiated from him. "Don't worry, I've just dropped by for a bit before I head to the office, I promise I won't be long~" he sang. He spun around like a ballerina a few times and then stopped to face you. This robot was very attractive, and you could tell from his poise that he knew it. Sleek black hair, chiseled face, seductively hooded eyes...this was one _hot_ robot.

"My my, darling~ Are you the new human?~" the robot cooed as he approached you. His metal boots clanked on the floor loudly. He reached out and stroked your cheek. You felt yourself blush under his chilly metal fingers. "You are so cute!~ I swear, I would gobble you up like Muffet's donuts if I had the stomach for it~"

"Thanks?" you replied questioningly. Your voice was croaky from being so tired. The robot then began playing curling your hair gently between his fingers. Usually you weren't so keen on strangers touching you, but at the moment your mind was so clouded with sleep you could hardly care.

"And what a _beautiful_ color!~ So unique!~ So dramatic!~ What brand of dye did you use, darling?~"

"I-i-i-it's all natural," you stuttered whilst stifling a yawn. This robot felt...familiar. Where had you heard that voice before?

"YES, METTATON, THIS IS JAY THE HUMAN. SHE LIVES WITH US," Papyrus announced. Ah, Mettaton! The robot on MTT, the host of the main monster channel. Wasn't he a celebrity though? How did Papyus and Sans know him?

"Ahh yes, she is adorable~ I definitely approve~ Though her sense of style is way off, as is her makeup job, I think she could be quite the fixer-upper~" Mettaton gently poked you on the nose.

"Wh-what?" The insults woke you up a bit. "My sense of style and makeup are both pretty decent, if I do say so myself. It's four in the morning, I haven't really attempted at either for the day yet." You motion to yourself and the fact that you were wearing a large stained t-shirt and some kitten printed pajama pants.

"Yes yes darling, we can get a rain check on me dolling you up, don't worry~" Mettaton's voice was sexy even while he was brushing you off. He turned around and began engaging in excited conversation with Papyrus again. With another yawn you slump back into bed and curl up for another few hours.

 

~~~

 

By the next weekend you had basically forgotten your encounter with the stylish bot. That is, until he showed up at your door again.

Luckily for you it wasn't super early in the morning when Mettaton arrived; rather, it was noon. You were fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around your head and dressed in a bathrobe, chilling in the kitchen making another cup of coffee. Sans and Papyrus were there, too, and you all were having cheery conversation.

Suddenly, a cold, metallic body embraced you from behind. "JAYYYYY!~ It feels like it's been FOREVER, darling~"

You stood there awkwardly enduring Mettaton's hug. "H-hi there, Mettaton. How are you?"

"I'm doing swell~ Aren't you looking forward to our time together today?~ I can see you freshened up _just_ for me~" He spun you around to face him. Your coffee sloshed around in your mug and threatened to overflow.

"W-wait, what?" He looked offended at your baffled question. "Not that I don't want to spend time with you, that's not it! I would love to spend time with you! It took me a second to remember the...special occasion!" You caught yourself nicely; Mettaton chuckled sweetly. Sadly, you still had zero idea what he was talking about.

"It's okay darling, we all forget things~ Even the chips that make up my brain can record or process information incorrectly, though there's only about a.....0.0000000017% chance of that happening~" He shrugs. "ANYWAYS!~ Back on topic!~ Are you readyyyyy to get started?~"

You did your best not to give him a blank stare. "Shouldn't I, ah, get ready first? I want to look my best today for my time with you!" At this, Mettaton lets loose some hearty laughter.

"Jay, you are a _card_ ~ My show is stocked up on guest appearances for the next few months, but I might try to squeeze you in as a comedic act if you keep saying things like that~ Now come on, let's go!~" He seizes your hand and starts dragging you to your room.

You throw the skeleton brothers a look over your shoulder that was a combination of 'what the hell is going on' and 'help me'. Sans, of course, laughed at your predicament while Papyrus pretended he didn't see what was going on.

With one big twirl, somehow Mettaton was able to fling you safely onto your bed and slam the door. Strong _and_ graceful. And still confusing as heck. Mettaton strutted over to your closet and swung it open. He looked unimpressed. Then he went into your bathroom and flung open some drawers; still unimpressed. "Jay, my dear, how do you survive?~ You're lucky I thought ahead, predicted that you wouldn't have much~ Though, with THIS much, I might have to perform a miracle~ Mmmm, I do love a challenge~ Now get me one of your spare hangers, won't you?~" Then he sat down comfortably on your desk chair and _yanked both of his legs off of his body._ You stared openmouthed. Some plugs and wires hung out of his hips and the tops of his legs.

"Did you just...pop your legs...off?"

"Oh yes, of course~ I wouldn't be able to open them if I had them still attached to me, right?~" He picked one up and scanned it for a second. He found the button he was looking for and pressed it. The leg he was holding folded open with a _pop_. All of the wiring was compact and pressed up on the inner walls of his leg, so as it had room for storage. Inside of the leg he was holding he had a bunch of different fabrics, a tape measurer, some large scissors, and a few spools of black thread. "Alphys really fixed me up here~ Seeing as I didn't need all of my destructive qualities anymore, she figured extra storage space would be nice~ And...seeing as they have come off before...this is just easier~"

"Mettaton, what is that for?" He dumped it all onto your desk and folded the leg back together with a clicking sound.

"For you, of course!~ Don't tell that I enjoy sewing, though~ I haven't released my fashion line yet, the surprise debut is coming up~" While speaking he had opened the other storage-leg and dumped the contents on the floor. It was a hodgepodge of makeup.

_Oh no. Ohhhhhhhh no no no no,_ you thought to yourself as you started to piece everything together. Mettaton had joked about giving you a makeover when he met you. But was he actually serious? A world-famous robot TV host wanted to take the time to sit down and give you a makeover? On one hand you were flattered. On the other hand, you were still wondering why the hell he was doing this.

"Now darling, I have some trouble reconnecting some of these cords~" He motioned to his leg and empty hip socket. "Would you be a doll and help me out?~"

With a disgruntled look you did your best as he told you where to plug the wires and cords back in. It was a tolling process on your fingers and left your hands aching. Mettaton got up and did some...erotic stretches too test out his reattached legs. "Yes, yes, YES!~ You did a fabulous job, my dear~ Now it's time for _me_ to do a fabulous job on _you!_ ~" He spun you around and easily pulled the towel off of your wet hair without snagging it. He whipped out his tape measurer and with alarming speed wraps it around different parts of your body.

"I don't think that's at all necessary—"

"Not necessary?~ Oh, but it is!~ Just you wait and see~ Go and dry your hair, dearie~" Mettaton turned towards your desk and you saw his hand rapidly plucking a needle through the fabric. You slumped into bathroom in defeat. This shit was happening and you couldn't stop him.


	6. Makeover or Madness?

You dried your hair to the fullest extent, leaving it in a big frizzy mess. "Hey Mettaton, do you want me to bring out my curling iron or hair straightener?" you called to him from the bathroom. He yelled back to bring both. With a sigh you head back into your room.

Mettaton had a heap of fabric laid out on your desk and had organized his makeup on your dresser. He was sitting in your closet browsing through your shoes while talking on the phone. He covered up the speaker when you walked in. "Jay, dearie, are you comfortable wearing heels?~" You shrugged and nodded. He spoke into the phone again. "Yes, the silver ones~ Yes, I know~ Thank youuuu!~" He hung up and with a metallic _clang_ his phone snapped onto his waist. Probably magnetic. "That was my driver, Marchia. she will be right over~ But in the meantime, you can just relax while I get everything together~"

You decided to play some video games for a couple hours; whenever you tried to turn around and ask what he was doing, Mettaton would snap at you that he wanted to keep it a surprise. Sooner or later his driver, Marchia, stopped by. She was a pale and meek-looking monster with large scales. She was extremely skinny and a long, wiry tail stuck through the back of her stylish pencil skirt. She dropped off some towering, sparkly silver heels along with a box full of jewelry before quickly leaving.

After a while you went into the living room to find Sans sitting on the couch. You plop down next to him. "What are you up to? Where's Pap?"

"he's in his room, probably doing a puzzle book or something. he doesn't want to talk to either of us right now; he isn't so good at keeping secrets, so he's avoiding us in fear that he might tell us what he's got planned with mettaton."

You swallow the chance to ask if that's what _he_ had been doing with _his_ secret.

"So you're not in on it either?"

"nah. the only thing i know is that we all have plans together tonight." He rummaged through his pocket. "i, ahh, i realized that i don't have your number. new phone and all." He stuck it out towards you and you giggled.

"You finally got one, huh? Took you long enough. Papyrus calls me every day between classes to make sure I'm okay, now I'll have two boneheads checking up on me all the time." You wink at him and he shifts with a smile, muttering about how he wouldn't do that. You elbow him in the side with a laugh. "I know, I know. I'm just kidding." You were about to ask him what inspired him to get a phone when Mettaton's head stuck out from your door.

"I'M DONEEEE!~~~ Now I need to work on _you,_ so hurry up!~" You shoot one last smile Sans' way and go back into your room for what you expect to be the most tedious makeover of your life.

Which it was.

For over an hour your hair was pulled, face was stabbed with makeup brushes, nails were clipped, brows were plucked. All the while, Mettaton's phone kept going off but he wouldn't answer it. The singular time he did, the only thing he said was "I'll be there on time, don't worry~" in an overly sweet tone and then hung up. What was going on?

Once he was done, Mettaton took a step back. He wiped a fake tear from his eye as he praised himself for such good work. He still refused to let you look into a mirror, so the only thing that you could see was that your nails and toes were painted navy blue. You needed to get dressed for the full surprise, he claimed.

After blindfolding you with an extra piece of cloth, he softly persuaded you to strip down so he could help you into the dress, insisting that he wasn't looking. Then he helped you into the shoes. You felt the cool tickle of metal as Mettaton put jewelry on you. He was gentle and kind the whole time while getting you ready, soft and soothing. Then he walked you over to the mirror and tugged the blindfold off.

You were looking at someone who you were positive wasn't you, but their movements followed yours in the reflection. Your makeup was beautifully done. The contouring made your cheekbones prominent and your face thinner. Your cheeks were rosy and your eyes were dark and smoky, your lashes extraordinarily long. Your eyebrows were on point; your lips were a luscious dark plum. Your long red hair was pulled to one side in a soft curl and was smooth as silk.

And the _dress!_ It was long-sleeved and floor length. It fit snugly everywhere except for around your legs, where it flowed freely. It did a good job accentuating your feminine figure, pulling in just the right ways to emphasize your breasts and hips while still cutting in nicely at the waistline. It had a semicircle of black lace from the neckline down to your cleavage. The rest of the fabric was soft and shimmery, starting off as black up top and fading into a navy blue around the bottom. There was a large slit in the left leg almost all the way up your thigh, which revealed the gigantic sparkly silver heels. You were almost half a foot taller in them. Thick silver bangles dangled around your wrists and your earrings looked like crystal raindrops. You looked fucking _gorgeous._

"Well?~~~ What do you think?~" Mettaton asked excitedly. You were speechless for a few moments. You smiled really wide and nodded in approval.

"I look...amazing."

"That you do!~ I'm really glad everything turned out so well-" He was cut off by the blaring of his phone ringing again. He glared at the caller ID until he saw it was Papyrus, then answered it with enthusiasm. "Papy papy papy, how are you doing, pet?~ You're there already?~...What do you mean they're delaying it?~...We will be there soon, don't worry~"

"What's wrong, what's being delayed? And where are we going?" you asked as he started to leave. You clacked loudly behind him in the heels; you could walk in heels just fine, but doing so with speed is a different story.

"Come come, it's all part of the surprise~" he cooed. You walked outside on the chilly night. It was late September, and the forecast said it might snow again. Out on the curb was a _limousine_ waiting for you. _Is he being serious?!_ After courteously opening the door for you, Mettaton slid inside behind you. He gave his driver an address to somewhere you had never heard of. After about twenty minutes of watching the scenery roll by, you see a large building surrounded by a lot of cars. As the limo pulled closer, you saw the flashing of cameras and a long red carpet leading in through the front doors. Of all the figures you could see, there wasn't a human in sight; they were all monsters. _What the hell_ is _all this?!?!!_

"Marchia, please pull around to the back entrance~" Mettaton requested. Then he turned towards you. "Well?~ Are you excited?~"

"Mettaton, I have ZERO idea what is going on here." You felt a cold sweat on your back under the soft dress. This was turning out to be a lot larger of a surprise then you had expected.

"Good!~ That's exactly what I was going for~" The limo had to stop a few times to check in with security, and then Marchia drove around to the back of the building. It was almost deserted. There were just some security guards at a pair of double doors. You and Mettaton got out and the limo pulled away. He took your arm in his own with an animated smile. He greeted the monster bouncers sweetly and coaxed you inside.

The first thing that you noticed was that it was crowded and noisy. Monsters were bustling about to and fro. There were mirrors and chairs set up everywhere. Some monsters were changing clothes, some monsters had makeup being applied, some monsters were styling others' hair or trimming loose strings...

It hit you like a bag of bricks.

"Mettaton, when you said that you had a _surprise debut_ for your upcoming fashion line earlier today, did you mean..." He nodded elatedly. He purposefully avoided telling you when the fashion show was.

A group of frazzled monsters with headsets scurried over to you and Mettaton. One began lecturing him on being late while the others bombarded him with questions. "Please, please, calm down~ We are right on schedule, nothing to worry about~ I want to see ALL of the models lined up in T-minus ten minutes for final check!~"

"JAY! YOU'RE HERE!" You whipped your head around to the familiar voice. There was Papyrus, standing among some of the other male monster models, getting his skull powdered by a make-up artist. Mettaton insisted he had other business to attend to so you hurry over and greet Papyrus. He was wearing a perfectly fitted navy-blue suit with a skinny black tie, and black leather gloves.

"Papyrus! You look so handsome!" You gave him a quick hug. "This is all so amazing, I'm so glad Mettaton invited me here! This was one hellova surprise!" You both laugh. "Where's Sans?" you ask, glancing at the other models. Seeing him in a suit would have been quite a sight; all you'd ever seen him in was either his big blue jacket or pajamas.

"HE IS IN THE CROWD, FIRST ROW! METTATON MADE SURE HE WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING, KNOWING HE IS SO SHORT. YES, METTATON DID A WONDERFUL JOB SETTING THIS UP! ALL WE CAN DO NOW IS MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING RUNS SMOOTHLY."

"You're right. You're going to do great out there. You look spectacular."

"AS DO YOU! METTATON REALLY DID A WONDERFUL JOB DRESSING YOU SO LAST-MINUTE. YOU LOOK AMAZING, JAY..." You felt yourself blush. You were about to thank him, but he wasn't done speaking. "...WHICH IS WHY YOU WILL LOOK EVEN BETTER WALKING THE RUNWAY NEXT TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"


	7. Showtime

Your face (and stomach) dropped. "...what?"

Papyrus looped his arm in yours and dragged you towards the other models lining up. "What?" you repeated. "What are you talking about?" You ripped your arm from his grip and stopped walking.

"ER...DID METTATON NOT TELL YOU?"

"No, he didn't." If the look on Papyrus' face in hearing this could be expressed in one word, it would be 'yikes'. You were pissed off. "Papyrus, how am I supposed to model on a _professional runway_ with absolutely NO training? And no warning? I'm not graceful in the slightest! Why the hell would Mettaton do this?"

You felt a cool pair of hands on your shoulders. "To answer _all_ of your questions in one go, the reason why you're one of the models today is because you're _human._ ~" Mettaton's soothing voice tickled your ear. You tensed up from his stern tone. "No matter how well you walk out there, the fact that there is a _human_ in a monster fashion show means a lot.~ It shows that we are trying to come together.~ _Unify._ ~" He paused. "Especially on the arm of such a stunning young bachelor monster such as this one!~" His serious tone lightened immediately. He let go of you and swung over to Papyrus, adjusting his suit and hugging him.

You were completely taken aback. Mettaton had really thought this through. Not only that, but he had a pretty good point. "...but why me, then? There are other humans who are supportive of the unification of humans and monsters. I bet even some actual models, too!"

"But none of them have the passion that you do, Jay!~ They didn't pick up and leave home to go to a university fully occupied by monsters!~ None of them were willing to go through the isolation that you do!~ None of them are majoring in politics to close the gap between the races like you are!~ None of them are living with a pair of monsters!~"

"You're making it sound like I'm some amazing person who has done so much! I haven't actually _done_ anything! I don't see why you're acting like I'm some angel just because I don't want monsters to be treated different, treated like shit! Monsters may not be human, but they sure as hell are _people_ , and deserve to be treated as such!"

The monsters around you had all stopped due to the commotion. You didn't realize you were speaking so loudly, nor that the backstage area had gotten so quiet. But the other monsters weren't giving you looks of disgust at your public outburst; rather, they were giving you looks of...admiration. One even wiped a tear from their (singular) eye.

Mettaton shook his head at you. "Don't you get it, Jay?~ Everything that you just said is all the more reason why I would want no one else but you to model for me.~"

He smiled and turned around to address the rest of the monsters there. "Well don't just stand there, everyone!~ We've got a show starting in less than five minutes~"

He spun back towards you and gave you a quick run-down of how the show was going to go: there was the initial walk for each model/pair, and then they would all walk out individually for a "speed run". Seeing that you understood, Mettaton then wormed through the crowd to begin the final checks on the models that were already lined up.

You were suddenly wrapped up in Papyrus' bony arms. "JAY!" he blubbered. "METTATON DID NOT NEED TO DRESS YOU UP TO MAKE YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL! YOUR INNER BEAUTY SHINES BRIGHTER THAN ANY MAKEUP COULD DO JUSTICE FOR!"

"Pap, that's the best compliment I've ever received. Thank you." After a good minute, you unhinge his arms from around you. You take one of his hands in yours. "Now, let's do Mettaton a favor and kill this catwalk." You wink at him and pulled him toward the line.

Mettaton was almost through the models. You saw him stop at every single one, look them over, then tell one of the assistants at his side if there was anything that needed touching up. The colors that Mettaton's fashion line emphasized were all dark, majorly blacks and greys with a few accent pieces and pops of color here and there. First to walk would the informal wear, then the swimwear, and then the formal wear. Only the formal wear was being shown in pairs. And as if to make an even bigger statement, you and Papyrus would be last to go out.

Mettaton got to you and Papyrus and commented that your hair had flyaways and that Papyrus' foundation was a complete wreck (from him sobbing at your accidental outburst). As the beauticians were having their ways with you, Mettaton shot you a wink. He pointed to your side. "That!~ I like that~ Do that~" He was pointing at you and Papyrus still holding hands.

_Unification._

The lights all went out backstage. The only thing that you could see were the two bright squares that led out to the stage; one doorway was to walk onstage, the other was to walk off of it. You saw a figure walk onto the stage and applause echoed through the building. Once it died down, you heard Mettaton's booming voice over the speakers. "Thank you, thank you~ Thank you to all those who could make it tonight, I appreciate each and every one of you~ This is my first fashion line, and I want to start it off with a bang!~ Please refrain from using flash photography, illegal recording devices, yadda yadda yadda~ But here, I won't drone on for any longer!~ Without further ado, I give you, my winter line... _Shielded Harmony._ ~" More applause rang out as Mettaton came offstage. Music played over the speakers.

_That title makes sense,_ you thought to yourself. _The colors are metallic and dark and work well together. They're like the colors of a metal shield. But little does the audience know the_ actual _harmony being highlighted. They won't know until_ I _walk out there._

You squeeze Papyrus' hand. He squeezes back. Your stomach was in knots and full of butterflies at the same time. The beat of the bass in the electronic music was pounding through you, synching to the beat of your heart. Why was it suddenly hot in here?

The line was inching forward with ten-second pauses in between each model. Twenty before you...nineteen...

Mettaton's voice suddenly whispered in your ear beside you. "It's easy~ Just walk at the same pace as Papyrus~ Put on a fierce expression~ Look straight ahead~ Strike a cute pose~ You will do fine~" His reassurance helps you let out the breath you didn't know you were holding in.

Fourteen before you, thirteen...

"But...one request~" He pauses. "After the initial walk is the 'speed-walk', yes?~ Just like now, you will be the last one to walk~"

Ten before you, nine before you...

"And during that speed-walk, when you get to the end of the runway, you will stop and strike a pose~ I will approach you, take your hand, and we will bow together for the finale~ Got it?~" You nod quickly, hoping he can see it in the dim lighting.

Four before you, three...

"Okay then, you crazy kids~ Knock it out of the park!~"

And with your hand in Papyrus', you step out into the spotlight.

~~~

The light was so bright you almost shielded your eyes from it; but you were a model now, and needed to act like one. You walked hand-in-hand with Papyrus, your arms swinging on beat between the both of you. In the corner of your eye you could see him with a slight smile. You smiled a bit, too.

Time was going by so slowly. You had barely taken a few steps. Once your eyes adapted to the light, you resisted scanning the crowd. You were nervous enough as it was already, and you didn't want to know how many eyes were on you. Especially now that you could hear the whispering that erupted once your heels hit the runway.

But one person in the crowd caught your eye. Even after Mettaton asked specifically for no flash photography, they were going at it! You couldn't help that your gaze strayed over to them.

Yet it wasn't just anyone. It was Sans. And he didn't even have a camera; it was just the lights from the stage reflecting off of his skull. And if the fact that he was wearing a legitimate suit wasn't funny enough to you, the look on his face was exponentially more so.

His dumbstruck expression was _beyond_ priceless. His eyes were fixated on you, his jaw slack, ghostly tongue lolling halfway out of his mouth _(Wait, he has a tongue?!)_. He was holding a half eaten hors d'oeuve in his hand inches from his face, but was too focused on you that he seemed to have forgotten about it. His cheeks were tinted a bright blue. You had to use every fiber of your being to refrain from keeling over in a fit of hysterical laughter. You tear your eyes away from him and continue walking.

With a bit wider of a smile you and Papyrus reached the end of the runway; here was where you were supposed to strike a pose. Suddenly, Papyrus yanks you close to him, puts his hand on your waist, and dips you as if you two were doing the tango. He held the pose for a second then straightened back up to walk the other direction. You and Papyrus never stopped holding hands. You could hear the murmurs of approval after such a gutsy stance.

The second you both got backstage, you punched Papyrus on the shoulder lightly. "OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" He did his best to whisper, but it didn't work so well.

"For that pose! Thanks for the heads-up! Plus, I didn't know you could dance."

"IT JUST CAME TO ME! I COULDN'T HAVE EVEN GIVEN MYSELF A HEADS-UP!" But he seemed pleased with himself nonetheless. "AND OF COURSE I CAN DANCE. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND DANCING IS A TRIVIAL NECESSITY."

You and Papyrus were abruptly shooed to the back of the line for the "speed-walk". Keeping pace as best you could, you made your way back onstage. You could feel the stares the same way you did when you first arrived at Underground University; you were human, and you were different. Your smile faltered. You didn't have Papyrus holding your hand anymore. He had been your boost of confidence. But you did what Mettaton told you to, which was to stop and wait at the end of the runway.

You wait there patiently with a half-smile for a few seconds until Mettaton appeared by your side. He snagged your hand, raised it up high, and then brought the two of you down into a low bow. Yet another act of unity.

The crowd burst into thunderous applause, and you swear you saw a small skeleton begin the standing ovation.


	8. Afterparty

Papyrus pulled you into yet another hug the second you got backstage. "DID YOU HEAR HOW LOUD THE APPLAUSE WAS? EVERYONE DID SUCH AN AMAZING JOB!"

"Yeah, everyone did! You were fabulous, Pap!"

"AS WERE YOU!" Monsters all around you were high-fiving or hugging each other. Some even approached you and were shaking your hand, complimenting your dress. Papyrus had a flock of girls attached to his hip and was blushing fervently while talking about how cool he was. You rolled your eyes and chatted with some makeup artists who were asking what products Mettaton used on your face.

After a while things started to die down and monsters started to leave. Papyrus found you and started bragging about how three different girls asked for his number. You punched him on the arm. "You already have the number of the coolest girl you're ever going to meet!"

"YOUR MOTHER DOES NOT COUNT!" He sniggered.

"Fuck you," you giggle. He loses it and breaks down in hysterical laughter. Once he calmed down, you asked: "What do you say to watching another romantic comedy when we get back tonight? It's not even that late."

"YES! I ACCEPT THAT INVITATION!"

"Oh, but my dears, don't make plans just yet!~ There's still the afterparty to attend~" Mettaton strutted over.

"Afterparty?" you asked. You hadn't gone out to many parties since attending university, so the idea of letting loose was enthralling. Especially if you could go while looking this hot. It got you a bit giddy.

"Yes, dear!~ Everyone who participated and attended the show today is invited!~ Plus, booze is on me~"

You nodded eagerly. It was party time.

~~~

Mettaton had rented out part of a luxury resort for his afterparty. Just one of the perks of being the biggest star from the Underground. Papyrus and you got out of the limo (which Mettaton was nice enough to send for you) in the attire you had worn during the show (which Mettaton was also nice enough to let you borrow). You both stared in shock at the extravagant place. It had tall, white marble steps ascending to the pair of double doors, and you could hear the bassline of music playing inside. You felt like you were in a modernized fairy tale. "You ready?"

"INDEED! LET'S GO!" Papyrus looped his arm in yours and escorted you into the building.

First there was the entryway. This was where people checked in and bellboys took coats. Beyond that was the main hall that branched off into a bunch of large rooms. There was a dance floor, a dining room with a buffet, and a room with a sizeable bar and lots of places to sit and chat.

At the end of the hall was a staircase that led up to the balcony and the rented rooms—Mettaton was kind in thinking ahead; he didn't want anyone trying to drive home if they had too much to drink, so he rented out a decent amount of rooms in the resort as well. And judging by the state of some of Mettaton's friends stumbling around already, most of those rooms would be occupied.

Papyrus saw Mettaton standing at the bottom of the stairs and you both approached him. He and Papyrus got into a friendly chat while you were pulled away by some other guests. Word had spread about your outburst backstage and apparently monsters were dying to talk to you. But speaking of your encounter with Mettaton backstage... It hadn't struck you at first, but how had Mettaton known so much about you? You'd barely spoken to him previous to today. You look over at him and see him talking to Papyrus. A little light bulb went off in you head. Of course, Papyrus must have told him.

"JAY! LET'S GRAB A DRINK AND THEN DANCE!" Papyrus shouted as he came over to you. Mettaton had other business to attend to. You nodded in agreement and followed him over to the bar. Papyrus got a colorful cocktail and you just stuck with a simple rum and coke. With your drinks in hand, you and Pap started dancing like there was no tomorrow.

The music was bumping and the drinks were flowing. Halfway through your third drink you were feeling great. Meeting new people, dancing on some cute monsters! But then, in the middle of breaking it down, Papyrus fell face-first onto the dance floor. You had to coax him out of the room. He claimed he was on his _ninth_ drink and was stumbling and bumbling around.

"Shit Pap, I'm sorry. I should've been counting how many you were having along with myself. I'm sorry."

"WHHHHUT ARE YOUUU SORRY FOR, JAYYYYY? I FEEL GREATT! BECAUSE I, THE GRRREAT PAPYRUS, LOVE TO DANCE! AND I LLLLOVE TO DANCE WITH MMY GOOD FRIEND, THHHHHHE HUMMMANNN!" He tried tumbling towards the dance floor again and you had to catch him from slamming to the ground again. He slumped against you. You put your drink down and heaved Papyrus into a standing position.

"D-damn, Papyrus, you're a bit heavy when you make me drag you around like this..." You drape his arm over your shoulder and struggle to make it over to the stairs. "I think you're done partying for the night. Let's get you up to one of those rooms."

"BUT JAYYYYYYYY," he whined, "I WANT TO DAAAAANCE MORE! AND I WANT TO THHHANK METTTTTTTTATON FOR INVITING US AND FFFFOR THROWING SUCH A GRRRREAT PARTY!" He was falling over his feet more and more.

"No worries! You can see him tomorrow, first thing in the morning! You can tell him then!" you grunted. He wasn't putting any effort in walking on his own, and you still had to walk up the full flight of stairs. Plus, you were in heels and had consumed a few drinks yourself. But then you hear a familiar voice from behind you.

"need a hand there, pal?"

"Please and thanks!" Sans pulled Papyrus' other arm over his shoulders and helped you get him up the stairs. "What, there's no goddamn elevators in this place?" you ask.

Sans shook his head. Papyrus' head lolled on his shoulder, but suddenly shot up. "SANNNSSSSSS! I'VE GOTT A JOOKEEE FFFOR YOU!"

"what is it, bud?"

"WHHHHYYY DO GHOSTSS LIKE USING ELEVVVATORS?...BECAUSE IT RAISES THEIR SPIRITSSSS! NYEHEHEHEHEHEH" Sans chortled.

"yea, pap, that's a good one. but i think the spirits you've consumed are doin a number on ya. what do you say to taking a nap?"

"NYEHH, A NAP SOUNDSSSS SUUUPER NICEEEE..." Then Papyrus started mumbling some stuff incoherently. You all were finally at the top of the stairs.

"i'll go put him down," Sans said as he led Papyrus into one of the rented rooms. You nod and go back downstairs to snag yourself another drink. Just for kicks, you grab one for Sans, too. When you get back upstairs, you see Sans shutting the door behind him to the room he put Papyrus in. He sees you and walks over. You take a second to actually see what he's wearing, because it wasn't his usual shorts-and-coat getup.

Sans was wearing a slightly disheveled suit and still had the folding creases in it like he had forgotten to iron them out. His overcoat was unbuttoned and his bowtie undone; he was dressed up in his own relaxed style. Still, though, he looked a bit anxious.

"that doesn't look like edward 40-hands, so if you want to end up like pap then you'd better step up your game." You roll your eyes and hand him a drink. He takes it and slowly looks you up and down. "so...ah...mettaton did a number on you, didn't he?"

You shrug and take a large sip of your drink. "I think he did a pretty decent job, myself." You were deadpan and Sans started to get flustered.

"n...no, i didn't mean he did a bad job," he stuttered. His cheeks started glowing. You laugh.

"I was just messing with you, I know what you mean. After all, I saw your gaping face while I was strutting my stuff on the runway." You take another drink and Sans was spluttering even more.

"it took me a minute to recognize you, is all! and i wasn't gaping!"

"Were too!" You did your best impression of his slackened face and he laughed.

"ok, so maybe i gaped a little bit. what's it to ya?" You nodded contentedly.

"Nothing. I just enjoy sweeping boys off their feet." Sans chuckled in realization that you were referring to the first time that you met.

"yea, you were the one stuttering when your ass hit the snow, right? hehe. how the tables have turned."

"Keep talking and I'll use my foot to make your asshole as wide as your gaping mouth," you sniggered. Sans laughed so hard that he actually spit out the sip he was taking of his drink. You both crack up for a good minute and then stand in silence. Sans was acting a bit...awkward. You downed the rest of your drink and make a motion to head downstairs for another one.

"you want me to come with you?" You shrug as to say 'sure'. You both walk downstairs in silence. Sans kindly gets you another drink. You could feel your face flushing; the booze was hitting you (but obviously not as hard as it hit Pap). You had a bubbly feeling in your gut and were super super duper happy to have Sans to hang out with. Also, you were getting super giggly. You grab Sans' hand and tug him along behind you. You saw him blush a bit—maybe he was starting to feel the alcohol, too.

"C'mon Sans, let's dance!"

"n-nah, let's just get some food and chat for a bit." He tugged on your hand in the other direction.

"Pfft. You lazybones." But you follow him into the dining room and take a seat. He takes an extra second to let go of your hand. Then he went to go hit the buffet. While he was getting food, a waiter comes over and takes your order for another pair of drinks, though you still had one in your hand. "Thinking ahead," you reassured yourself. Your vision was getting a little hazy around the edges.

Sans returns with an overflowing plate of food and sits down across from you. "i brought some for the both of us. take whatever you'd like."

You smile and giggle. "Sans, you're so sweet. I'm glad you're here with me." He wouldn't meet your eye. You pick up a meatball from the plate, pop it into your mouth, and lick the sauce off your fingers. Sans' face was bright blue. "What's goin on with you, blushing bride?" you joke. "You're bein pretty quiet. C'mon, cheer up! Have a few drinks. Get on my level."

"you get on my level, ya goof," he garbled, his mouth full of food. "eat something, or you're drinking on an empty stomach."

"Only reason you know that was because I didn't make dinner for all of us tonight like I usually do." You cackled.

"oh, come on. we aren't _that_ dependent on you. now seriously, eat. you're starting to slur as bad as pap was."

"Hmph." You finish the drink in your hand just as the waiter brings over the pair you ordered earlier. "Speaking of Papyrus! We should go check on him. Make sure he isn't puking all over himself." You pick up your drink and stand abruptly. Doing so made your head spin a bit, but you stayed balanced (somehow, even in your heels).

"o-okay?" Sans replied. He stared at the plate of half-eaten food longingly, but grabbed his drink and followed you out into the hall. He was still acting a bit weird. Too quiet.

"Yo, Sans."

"yo, jay."

"You've been acting a bit nervous, or like, awkward tonight. Everything okay?" The alcohol had weakened your filter; usually, you wouldn't ask someone so outright why they were super nervous.

"y-yea, i'm fine. just tired." You use your last bit of logical reasoning to not question him any further.

_He doesn't want to talk about it, and that's A-okay by me! I don't want him to feel uncomfortable. He's such a good friend to me, and such a good brother to Papyrus._ You reach out and hold his hand, twining your fingers between his bony ones with a big smile. You both were silent as you walked slowly up the stairs. You get to the room that Papyrus was in and open the door as quietly as you can. There was Papyrus, curled up under the covers peacefully.

And then you hiccup _extremely loudly._

You heard Sans beside you snort trying to hold back a laugh. He was still holding your hand. Papyrus stirred and turned over, and his eyes opened and focused on the two of you. "S-S-S-SANS?" he yawned. "JAY?"

"Shhhh, Papyrus, go back to sleep," you say sweetly. You reach out to pull the covers up further on him. Suddenly, Papyrus' hand shot out from under the blankets and snatches your wrist. He yanks you and Sans (considering you were still holding his hand) onto the bed with him. You giggled as Sans swore loudly. You were mushed between the skeleton brothers. Drunken Papyrus was basically spooning you from behind and Sans facing you. Weirdly enough, you found that the skeletons were kind of warm, like when cuddling humans.

You could see Sans sweating and he was blushing profoundly now. For a few seconds you and Sans just stared at each other, a drunken smile plastered across your face. You were getting sleepy.

Sans started to get up. You weakly reached out towards him. 'Drunk-you' was feeling very cuddly and was happy the way things were. He sucks his teeth at you as if he was disapproving, but you could see the half smile on his face. He takes your hand and curls up next to you. The three of you drift off to sleep.


	9. Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [[A/N: I hope to be making the chapters longer like this one, but they will take longer to write/post. Enjoy!]]

The fashion show blew up overnight. Monster magazine covers, newspaper articles, TV snippets, the whole shebang. For the next week, campus was buzzing how there was a _human_ in Mettaton's first fashion show! "How progressive," some said, "bridging the gap!" Luckily for you, the photos that they used of you had your face cropped out or covered up. You guessed Mettaton intervened there; he didn't mention your name in his interviews anywhere, but spoke wonderfully about you. "She is a progressive force to be reckoned with!~"

But alongside the good press was also the bad press. You caught wind of hate groups on the news, both human and monster. The monsters claimed that humans were "invading their culture" while the humans countered with "the monsters are invading our land". Such a large fashion show taking such a big step was bound to cause some unease for those who were stubborn or scared; you just hoped that it wouldn't turn into anything more.

~~~

October arrived along with windy weather and a bit of snow here and there. Your favorite holiday was approaching: Halloween.

"What do you mean you don't celebrate Halloween?!" You practically shouted you were so baffled. It was already a week and a half into October and you had barely put up any decorations around the house.

"IT IS A HUMAN TRADITION. WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANY ATTACHMENT TO IT."

"yea, we've never really _skele-brated_ it before. hehe." Sans sauntered into the kitchen where you and Papyrus were talking. You were making lunch.

"So? There's not much to it. Maybe we could throw a party, play some games, introduce some of the monster folk to it."

"A PARTY? WE COULD THROW A PARTY?" Papyrus was on a hype since the fashion show. All he would talk about was how he was the life of the afterparty. He would tell everyone who would listen about how much of an animal he was (just yesterday you had to pull him away from some uncomfortable people at the supermarket). You knew that would get his attention.

"i don't see why we couldn't throw a party. but pap, keep in mind that hosting a party is different than attending one." Sans came over and snatched half of the sandwich you made, taking a bite out of it before you could do anything. You stuck your tongue out at him, and he stuck his ghostly blue one out back. You still had yet to ask him about that, so you put a tack in the back of your mind.

"Yeah, Sans is right. We'd have to shoot out invitations, have decorations, fun food, scary movies, and of course good costumes."

"WHY DON'T WE START THE PREPARATIONS NOW?" Papyrus shouted enthusiastically. He clapped his hands together. "I CAN MAKE THE INVITATIONS! AND COME UP WITH GAMES TO PLAY! PUZZLE GAMES!"

"I'll go get the decorations."

"and i can look up recipes for halloween food." Of course Sans would pick the food-related option. You giggled.

You head to the nearest party store and start picking out some simple decorations. Fake spider webs, plastic bats to hang from the ceiling, a cauldron-shaped bowl to serve candy from. You couldn't help but smile as you picked out a cheap plastic skeleton with a top hat on. You also grab some miniature pumpkins and some tissue-paper ghosts. When you get back home, Papyrus was standing in the living room ecstatically flipping through a stack of papers in hand. "Are those the invitations, Pap?"

"INDEED! I MADE THEM MYSELF!" He handed you one to look at. They were hand-drawn pictures of you holding hands with him and Sans, and you're all sitting on broomsticks with little witch hats on. It read: 'Come to our Halloween Party! Saturday, Oct. 31st from 6-10PM. Be sure to show up in costume!' Papyrus had big, blocky handwriting.

"These are awesome! Who all are you going to invite?"

"MY FRIENDS, OF COURSE! UNDYNE, ALPHYS, METTATON, FRISK, TORIEL, ASGORE, NAPSTABLOOK...UHHH..." You didn't know most of the people who he was talking about, but you recognized a few names.

"what about muffet?" Sans added. He came into the room with a few sheets of paper of his own. They were recipes he looked up for some cute little Halloween foods. The both of them seemed pretty enthusiastic about throwing this party. "i bet she could bring some of her cider."

"Sounds cool by me! Could I maybe have a couple invitations? I wanna invite my study group from school." Papyrus happily handed you some, focusing now on the recipes that Sans was holding. _This is going to be so fun!_

~~~

After what felt like forever, the Saturday of Halloween arrived. All that morning you, Sans, and Papyrus were setting up. Sans made some 'blood-red' spiked fruit punch and nachos while you and Papyrus made orange cupcakes with black frosting and little candy bats. Some spooky music was on and the TV had a stream of horror movies playing. Papyrus was sporting his costume, a cowboy, since he had woken up. He had the cowboy boots and hat and all.

A couple hours before the party started, Sans approached you. He embarrassedly admitted that he hadn't picked out a costume yet, so you quickly came up with an idea. The two of you ran to the party store and picked up some orange and black face paint. "I could totally paint your skull like a pumpkin. Easy peasy." When you got back to the house, you invited him into your room to paint him; Papyrus was freaking out in the living room over what songs were 'cool YET spooky enough' to play during the party and you didn't want to disturb him.

"Just take off your shirt for now while I go get some towels. Even though it's washable, I would rather not get paint all over your clothes and my floor."

"lucky you, first girl in a while to see me _bare-boned._ hehe." Although he sounded confident, Sans looked a little embarrassed while undressing. He even turned the other way while taking off his shirt.

You hadn't really thought about it before, but you hadn't really seen the skeleton bros without clothes on. Ever. Not that you wanted to in _that_ way, but like...how did their bodies work? Did they have organs? You were mesmerized by the way his skeleton moved, now that you could see so much of it. The bones all shifted as if they were controlled by muscles, his movements somehow fluid but rigid at the same time. Sans cleared his (nonexistent) throat to indicate you had been staring too long-not to mention he had a bright blue blush. You laid down the towel and told him to sit. "just be careful not to get any paint in my eye sockets, or _eye'll_ kick your ass." You giggle and sit down next to him.

"I'll be careful, I promise." You dip your paintbrush in the orange paint and then stroke it across his cheek. He shivered. "Sorry, is it cold?"

"a bit. no problem." You continue, more slowly this time. You finished covering the front side of his face with orange and moved behind him to get the back. "hey, jay, could i ask you a question?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"did you hear if, uh, toriel is coming to the party?"

"I think Papyrus mentioned that she was. I've never met her before, though. Why?"

"well...uhh...she and i...we kinda have a history."

"Oh, okay?" You felt a tiny pang in the pit of your stomach, though you didn't know why. "What about it?" He didn't respond right away. You waited after a few more paint strokes to say, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"it's no big deal. i just don't know how to act around her tonight." He paused. "i used to, ahh, have a thing for her, but she didn't reciprocate. then she got back together with her ex. i haven't really talked to her since." He shifted uncomfortably, causing you to accidentally get some paint on his neck.

"Shit, my bad." You picked up a washcloth and start to wipe it off; he shuddered again, nearly causing you to spread the paint further. "Hmm. Well, a bit of polite conversation wouldn't hurt. It would show that you're mature about the situation." You finish wiping off his vertebrae and finish up with the orange paint. "Just be friendly, show that you're happy for her, or like you've moved on."

"i have moved on," he said a bit too quickly.

"Ohhh yeahhhh, that really convinced me!" You chuckled. For some reason, you felt that tiny pang in your stomach again. _Am I really that hungry or something?_

You moved to his front side again and washed off your paintbrush, next applying some black around his mouth. You leaned in closer for detail, using smaller strokes. You felt the warmth of his breath on your cheek ( _I thought they didn't have to breathe? Or is that just when they sleep?_ ). Your elbow brushed his ribcage. He shook again, almost causing you to stab him in the eye. "Is it too cold in here for you? You keep shivering, I almost skewered your socket there." Even under the orange face paint, he was blushing a violent blue.

"n-no, i'm just a bit sensitive there is all." You raised your eyebrows, but didn't ask. You finished painting his face and had him look in the mirror. He was pretty impressed. "i look _bad to the bone_ , don't i? hehe. thanks, kid." He picked up his shirt and jacket.

"Noprob, just wait a bit for it to dry. And hey, good luck with Toriel." You shot him a wink.

~~~

You took a long time doing your makeup for your costume because you wanted it to look good; you did skeleton makeup and wanted to surprise the bros. You put on a black dress, those sparkly heels that Mettaton had given you, and a leather jacket. You came out into the living room. Both Papyrus and Sans lit up when they saw you. "HUMAN! YOU LOOK ALMOST LIKE US!" You felt yourself blush. "LOOK AT THAT LINEWORK! I THINK THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD HAVE POSSIBLY DONE IT BETTER IS METTATON, AND HE IS A PROFESSIONAL!" Papyrus clapped you on the back. "OR ME. MAYBE I COULD'VE DONE BETTER."

"yea, kid, you look pretty good." Sans' orange head bobbed in a nod of approval. The doorbell rang.

First to arrive were some fluffy horned monsters who introduced themselves as Asgore and Toriel ( _Ahh, so this is Toriel?_ ). They were dressed as a toilet-paper mummy and an angel respectively. They were both extremely sweet, complimenting the decorations and explaining how excited they were for their first Halloween. "It is our first Halloween, yes, but Frisk here has had a few," Asgore stated. He had a deep, rumbly voice. A human child of about ten or eleven dressed in all red peeked at you from behind his leg. "Frisk even helped me get into my costume!" He ruffled her hair with a hearty chuckle, making sure not to shift the devil horns propped on her head. Frisk came forward and handed you a covered pan.

"Oh yes, we _butters-got-you_ a butterscotch pie!" Toriel giggled. You looked down at Frisk, who was moving her hands around- _Oh yeah! Papyrus mentioned to me that she was mute._ "Frisk says this is hers and her father's favorite kind," Toriel translated sweetly. You immediately saw why Sans liked her; her smile was bright as the sun _and_ she was good with puns.

"Thank you so much, that's so thoughtful! I really look forward to tasting it." You noticed that Toriel was holding a potted flower with makeshift Mickey Mouse ears on. The flower...had a face?

"What're _you_ looking at?" it sneered. You jumped a bit-how were you to know it could speak? It didn't seem so happy with its condition and had a permanent glare on its face.

"Don't mind Flowey," Asgore whispered, "he's a little...angry. Well, very angry. All the time." Toriel nudged him softly.

"Maybe a party like this would cheer him up," she whispered to him.

Frisk reached over and took Flowey in her hands, nuzzling him into a hug (which he retracted from as far as his pot would let him).

They continued into the house to greet Papyrus and Sans, and behind them were Mettaton (dressed as a sexy cop) and a cute little ghost who said its name was Napstablook. Napstablook had a little top hat on and someone had used a marker to put some whiskers on their face, and Mettaton explained that he was supposed to be the 'cat in the hat'.

Next to arrive were two monsters hand-in-hand, one dressed as a knight and one as a princess. "UNDYNE!" Papyrus screamed. He caught the taller monster, the knight, in a big hug. Papyrus quickly introduced you to her and her nervous girlfriend, Alphys.

"Nice to meet you," Undyne scoffed. One hand was in Alphys', but the other was on the sword at her hip ( _Wait, was that thing real?!_ ). She had some decent muscles, too, and gave off an intimidating vibe. "I was told that you were the human to walk at that show the other day."

"Uh, well, yea, I guess-"

"That was bold." She had her eyebrows raised and was smiling. "I can throw down when it comes to combat-" ( _Somehow, I don't doubt that_ ) -"but I've got some baaaad stage fright. That was pretty brave."

"Y-yea, that was really cool," Alphys chimed in. She had a bright red blush. "I was in the crowd. You did a really good job!" She was smiling at you too.

"You were there? That's so cool!" You didn't ask why she wasn't at the afterparty; she seemed more like a homebody. "It's really cool to finally meet you guys, Papyrus speaks so well of you." You exchanged some quick conversation before Alphys went to go talk to Asgore, and Papyrus and Undyne started planning their next sparring match.

The party was starting to fill up and everyone was chit-chatting. You saw Sans approach Toriel, who was splitting a cupcake with Frisk. You gave him a thumbs-up.

You heard another knock at the door. A couple of your friends from your study group had showed up. Pashune, a full-figured pink monster with bright orange hair (she was dressed as a pirate). Then there was Slacks, who was basically a giant snake (he was dressed as a sock puppet). You greeted them and let them inside.

Behind them was a giant spider-lady who identified herself as Muffet. She was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. She handed you two pitchers. "Sans already paid me for this, don't worry," she said nonchalantly as she swept past you. Following her was a cat/dog looking monster with some plastic pink wings on her back.

"hOI! i'm tEMMIE!" the cat/dog yelled. "i'M a FAirY!" You do your best to welcome her. She started violently shaking in response. She then shot into the room and started eating one of the cupcakes on the table. You could do nothing but stand there in shock.

"don't worry, she does that," Sans said as he approached you, probably able to spot the confusion on your face. He handed you a cup of his spiked fruit punch. "this party looks pretty bumpin, eh?" The room was lively and everyone was talking loudly, eating, drinking. You were happy with how it was turning out. You spotted Muffet again in her red hood. It reminded you of something you hadn't thought of in a while.

"Hey, Sans, can I tell you something weird? Without you freaking out?" He eyed you cautiously. He took a sip of his drink.

"yea, go ahead."

"I think I might have a stalker." He stared at you. "Well, wait. I dunno. They haven't really done anything, but I think I see them out of the corner of my eye sometimes...it's just this guy in a hood or whatever. He just...looks at me, then disappears." Sans was still staring at you, but he had a confused expression.

"what do you mean, he disappears?"

"He just...he's there one second, and the next he isn't." Sans didn't say anything. He was off in thought.

"how often do you see them?"

"I-I don't know. I've been seeing them at least once a week now." Now that you thought about it, they had been appearing more frequently. For a split second, you thought you saw Sans' eye glow blue.

"i am going to walk you to school from now on." You were taken aback. It wasn't a question. You glared at him.

"I told you not to freak out! It's okay. Forget I mentioned it. I am not really sure if I saw anything, anyways." You take a sip of your drink. "How did talking with Toriel go?"

"nuh-uh, don't change the topic. it's happening." You scoff at him. "...and it went fine. thanks for the advice. it was a lot easier than i thought it would be."

"She's really sweet, I can see why you like her." Sans was about to respond, but was interrupted by a joyous cheer from Papyrus-his favorite song had come on and he was inviting everyone to dance. Sans tried walking to the stairs. You grab the back of his jacket. "Oh no you don't. Get your _coccyx_ back here. You're going to dance whether you like it or not." You take yours and his drink and put them beside the TV.

You pull Sans into the crowd where everyone was already dancing. Everyone had their own unique style. Sans was super hesitant at first, but loosened up after Frisk came over and made him dance with her. After Frisk went back over to Toriel, though, Sans got awkward again. Especially when your pink friend, Pashune, paired up with Mettaton and they both started jokingly shimmying up towards him. Sans rolled his eyes and excused himself to the kitchen.

After a bit more dancing, the party started to die down. Asgore, Toriel, Flowey and Frisk all left first because they were getting tired. Soon after was Napstablook, Temmie, Muffet and Mettaton.

Undyne and Alphys were chatting with Papyrus on the couch and you saw Sans talking with your friend Pashune. You went and sat on the ground by Slacks coiled up by the TV. "Hey, Slacks. How's it goin?"

"Not bad, thankssssssss." He sipped on his drink sitting on the floor beside him. "Ssssssso Pashune and I are about to head out and hit another party. You down?" You shake your head.

"Nah, I gotta stick around and help clean up. Thanks, though. Next time most definitely." He did the snake-equivalent of a shrug.

"If you ssssssssay so. The next one issss ssssuppossed to get pretty rowdy. I know a guy, so I might even be able to get an open room." He wiggled his eyebrows. You laughed and rolled your eyes.

"I wish you luck with that, then. I'm still going to stick around here."

You hear the door open, seeing Undyne and Alphys leave, and you wave goodbye to them. Pashune came over and told Slacks that she was about to head out.

"Well, that'sssssss my cue then," Slacks hissed.

"Have fun the rest of your night! Be safe!" You see him and Pashune out the door. You then, with a sigh, go to get the vacuum from the closet. "Alright boys, time to clean up."

"THAT WAS AN AWESOME PARTY!" Papyrus exclaimed. Luckily, he didn't seem drunk. "WE SHOULD HAVE THEM MUCH MORE OFTEN! AND JAY, I'M SO GLAD YOU GOT TO MEET MY FRIENDS!"

"Me too! They all seem pretty cool. Hopefully we can all hang out again soon."


	10. Just Some Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [[A/N: This is the first chapter with a TRIGGER WARNING. Does not actually contain sex, but a character attempts to have nonconsensual sex with another. I shall put this symbol, " *** ", at the beginning and the end of the section in which it is included, so you can still read the rest of the chapter. I will also include a small summary at the end of the chapter for ANY that contain trigger warnings. Please enjoy!]]

You all pitched in to clean up the scraps from the party (Sans slacking off the most). By the time you were done it was only midnight, but you were pooped. It had been a long day. You decided to do the dishes so they wouldn't pile up.

"hey, kid." Sans came into the kitchen. His face was still painted that obnoxious orange.

"Hey, Sans. Have a good time tonight?" You were roughly scrubbing at the tray that the cupcakes were on; the dried frosting was especially sticky.

"yea, you bet. how about you?"

"Mmmm." You didn't really hear him; you were too focused on scrubbing the stupid frosting stuck to the stupid pan.

"sooo...you wanna watch a horror movie? it's still kinda halloween, oooooooooooo." He waved one of the little plastic bat decorations in front of your face. With a smile you tried to swat it away, but in doing so, you accidentally flicked some suds at him. A big, soapy blot of orange paint started dripping down his face right between his eyes. You couldn't help but laugh. He raised his brows at you and grinned mischievously. Then, quick as lightning, he unzipped his jacket and tossed it to the floor. "oh, it's on."

"No no n—ahh!" He cupped his bony hands into the water and splashed some up into your face. "Goddamnit, Sans!" You were swearing like a sailor but giggling uncontrollably. You grab an empty cup and fill it with the soapsuds. He ran like hell. You chased him around and around the kitchen table. He was too quick. You came to a stop, wheezing, and he just kept grinning at you. He was _fast._

"given up already? done so soon?"

"You bet your ass it's not!" You try splatting the soapy water at him from across the table—but he ducks, and it ends up hitting Papyrus square in the face. Your face turns into utter shock. You hadn't even seen Pap come in! Papyrus just stood there for a minute, letting the bubbles drip down his face, wiping some from his eye sockets. Sans was rolling on the floor howling with laughter. "Papyrus, I'm so sorry—"

"YOU ARE NOT SORRY NOW, BUT YOU WILL BE MOMENTARILY!" Papyrus hollered. He made a dash towards the sink.

And so, for the next half hour you all proceeded to chase each other with soapy dishware. It ends with you all in a panting, laughing heap on the floor, sopping wet and covered in suds.

"MY RIBCAGE HURTS FROM LAUGHING TOO HARD!" Papyrus yelled.

"same, bro." Sans' face paint had dripped down and covered his shirt. You imagined that yours had probably done the same. Sans started wiping his hands through the paint and smearing it on Papyrus' face. "it's a _paint_ to tell you this, bro, but you've got a bit of stuff on your cheek there." Papyrus screamed in agony at the pun while you and Sans cracked up even more.

"Hahaha. Alright, I guess I should shower while _you_ guys clean up." And before they could refuse, you zoomed out of the kitchen and into your bathroom.

Your shower was not especially quick, with all of the paint you had to wipe off. You snagged your towels on your way out of the bathroom; with one of your wrapped around your head and the other around your body, you go to inspect the cleaning job the brothers had done. It was, surprisingly, spotless. _Probably Papyrus' doing, with Sans being so lazy..._

"hey, who're you callin lazy?" Sans voice came from behind you as he walked into the kitchen. Had you said that out loud?! _Whoops._

"I'm calling you lazy, lazybones." You smirked at him.

"yea, i didn't do any of this. it was all pap," he said with a chuckle. He was still covered with paint and soap. Apparently Papyrus had gotten first shower. Now that you listened for it, you could hear him singing from upstairs. "he's been in there for a while and locked the door. is there any chance i could maybe, ahh, use your shower?"

"Sure dude. But wait, shit, I don't think I have any extra towels." You lean over and untwirl the one that was on your head and hold it out to him. "Would you mind using this?"

"n-nah, I wouldn't mind." He took the towel from your hand and you both head to your room, where he branches off to the bathroom. You quickly change into your pajamas and go sit on the couch in the living room, so as to not seem like you were waiting on him to be done. You were checking some social media on your phone when Sans came out, one hand loosely holding up your towel around his waist and the other clutching his dirty clothes. He blushed when he saw you.

"Squeaky clean?" you ask him, putting your phone down.

"squeaky clean." He paused. "your shampoo smells good."

A bit of an unusual compliment, but you take it nonetheless. "Thanks! The sultry scents always get me." You shrug. He was still hesitating before going upstairs.

"oh, uhh. you never answered before, if you wanted to watch that movie." You recalled him asking you before the soap-fight. You check your phone for the time. It was only one-thirty.

"Sure. But don't hold me to watching the whole thing, I'm getting a sleepy. It's been a long day." With a nod he goes to his room. "Hurry up!" you call up after him.

In less than five minutes he was in his pajamas (some long pants with basketballs on them and a grey T-shirt with a skull) and back downstairs. You yawned loudly while he pulled off the blanket that was hanging off the backside of the couch and wrapped himself in it. He sat down and picked out the movie. "you sure you wanna watch this? you seem pretty tired."

"Shuddup, I'm fine. Let's do this. And you'd better share that goddamn blanket." He chuckled and started playing the movie, holding his arm out for you to move closer.

It was yet another movie with a creepy little girl who finds a cursed object or something. You felt your eyelids start to sag. You scooted closer to Sans, grabbed a couch cushion, and placed it on his lap. You laid down on it while watching as the creepy kid started mauling her mom or whatever. You weren't paying much attention anyways. You pulled the blanket a little bit to cover your legs more. "ahh, you comfy there?" Sans asked quietly. Did his voice sound a little tense?

"Mmmhmm!" You move backwards, closer to him, feeling his skeletal warmth. As you had come to notice, weirdly enough the skeleton brothers radiated heat like humans did. You felt him gently lay his hand on your side—he didn't have many other places to put it, anyways. You had basically cornered him into the couch.

After another fifteen minutes or so, you were so comfortable and warm and cozy that you couldn't force your eyes to stay open any longer. And as you were drifting off to sleep, you could've sworn you heard Sans whisper "goodnight."

~~~

Much to your disbelief, Sans actually started walking you to and from school every day. He was usually so tired in the mornings that he would just bunch up inside of his jacket, hands in his pockets, and shuffle along beside you. It was cold out and snow now covered the ground at least twice a week. "bipolar weather," he would sometimes mutter. "one day it's warm, the next it's snowing. it needs to make up its mind." In the afternoons, though, you guys would have pleasant conversation. Papyrus would even tag along sometimes, too.

"...AND SO, THAT IS HOW UNDYNE AND I TAUGHT FRISK OUR _SECRET_ RECIPE." You were all walking home on a normal Tuesday. You weren't paying much attention to the conversation, though; you had some tests coming up this week and the next.

"then, didn't you just give us your secret recipe, bro?" Sans asked. Papyrus' face flushed scarlet.

"N-NO! OF COURSE NOT! IN FACT, UNDYNE IS COMING OVER LATER TO MAKE SOME, AND WE ARE GOING TO BE PRACTICING OUR NEW SECRET RECIPE—" You had to butt in.

"Hey, Papyrus, is there any chance you could...er...not have it at our house tonight? I have the study group coming over, and you and Undyne get quite...eccentric while cooking." Last time, they broke the kitchen window and somehow set an armchair on fire. "We have a lot of important tests coming up later this week and we really need to study."

Though he looked a little hurt, Papyrus nodded understandingly. "that way, you can work on your secret recipe and not worry about people overhearing it," Sans added. He always knew just what to say to cheer Papyrus back up.

~~~

Your friends arrive around six-thirty for your study sesh. Papyrus was at Undyne's and Sans had locked himself in his room. Your study group consisted of Pashune and Slacks, who had been at your Halloween party before [[A/N: see descriptions in previous chapter]], and two other monsters named Eere and Myst. Eere was a short, one-legged, fluffy blue monster with three hands (one extra one coming out of the top of his head). Myst was a shy, shimmering spirit kind of like a ghost, but he had a fully-formed top half that looked like a human (though he only had one eye).

Eere was nice enough to pick up some food from Grillby's for all of you and you brought out some nice cream for dessert. There was a lot of studying done, but also some laughing and fun talks, too. Right now you were looking over flashcards for your History of Monsters class.

"Who wassssss the last King of Monsterssssss?" Slacks asked the group.

"Asgore Dreemurr!" You smiled. "Now, instead of being a King, he's a major representative of monsters. And, he's obsessed with his wife's butterscotch-cinnamon pie."

"What? How do you know that?" Myst asked softly with a smile.

"Because she _knows_ him, duh!" Pashune exclaimed. "He was at her freaking Halloween party! I was so nervous when I saw him there, I could barely move! He is sooooooo cool. I had never met him before, but he was so sweet, just like everyone says!" she said dreamily. She waved her notebook in front of her face, fanning herself. "Plus, he's _super_ cute."

"Awh, knock it off, Pashune. You haven't met the old King!" Eere pushed her slightly with his fluffy third arm.

"Have too!" she said. Her already-pink skin flushed a bit with a blush.

"Have not."

"Have too!"

"Guys, knock it off!" You interject. "Yes, she has met him, and I know him. We can talk about that after our exams! Slacks, next question?"

"Okay. Sssssso, who created the Core?" Slacks asked.

"Shoot, I know this!" Pashune said excitedly while flicking through her notes, all written in bright pink. "It was...Gastly, right? Something Gastly?"

"W.D. Gaster," Myst answered. "He was the Royal Scientist at the time."

"Oh shit, that wasn't too long ago, right?" Eere butt in. Both he and Pashune were the loudest of the group. "These are pretty updated history books, if that's in there."

"Well, these chapters _do_ include the history of Monster inventions and discoveries," you said, grabbing another highlighter and underlining W.D. Gaster in your notes. "Next question!"

"Sssssure. Hmmmm. What wassssss the name of the Monster who discovered the Underground?"

"Wait, what part? Because wasn't the Hotlands discovered wayyyyy after the Ruins were?" Myst asked. 

 

 

***

The five of you went on for another few hours. It was around ten-thirty when everyone decided you had done enough, or at least all you could do. "Yo, Jay," Slacks said while you were all packing up, "would you mind letting me ssssstick around for a little bit longer? Like, could you quiz me more on the mosssssst recent integration lawssssss? I don't feel I have them down well enough."

"Sure, Slacks." You escort everyone else to the door and hug them goodbye. "Pashune, are you still down for lunch this Thursday?" you call after her. She yells back something along the lines of, "duh", and you go and sit down next to your snake-friend Slacks. "Alright, what else do you want to study?"

For another half-hour you two cram. Some of the older Monster Integration Laws made you mad; at first, there was even formal segregation! Luckily, it had been repealed. But still, in some places, people still sort of treated it like it was around, or like monsters and humans should still be separate. You were living in a town of all monsters, after all. And just last week someone on campus had called you "hominid" like it were a derogatory term; Eere had been there with you, though, and cussed out the monster who had said it.

After going over the laws a few times, you snap your book closed. "You ready for the test now? This one isn't until Monday, so maybe we could get together this weekend or something if you want."

"Yea, that would be great!" Slacks nodded. You got up to go and put your book away in your bag, which was just inside your room next to your bed. Slacks followed you. "Sssssso, uhh, are you home alone?"

"Eh, I actually don't know." You thought Sans was home, but you hadn't seen him in a few hours. Maybe he was out to work or something, whatever. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, if we are home alone, then maybe you would like to...?" He trailed off with an impish smile on his snakelike face. He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh my god, you did _not_ just ask me that," you sniggered. You tried to walk back into the living room, but Slacks stayed coiled up in the doorway.

"Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'why not'? We're just friends, and I'm not interested. Not that hard to understand. Now come on, move out of the way." Slacks was making you feel very uncomfortable. He slithered closer to you and you backed away.

"But yea, we could ssssstill...jusssssst as friendssssss..."

"Quit it, man. We're just friends. I don't want anything more." Your tone was stern now. He continued to slither closer to you and you continued to back further into your room. You didn't have much space left. You bumped into your desk.

"Come on. Jussssst for fun."

"Stop it Slacks. I told you I don't want to. I think you need to leave." You felt your voice waver. Now he was beyond creepy. A bunch of radars were going off in your brain that this was not a good situation to be in, and you needed to get out _now._

"You jussssst don't want to be with a monssster because you haven't been with one before. You can't sssssay you fully underssstand monsssterssss! I could ssssshow you what it'ssssss like!" He glided closer to you, you could see the flick of his tongue inch closer to your face, you could feel your hand reaching across your desk for a pen, a book, anything...

"yo, bud. i don't think she's interested," a deep voice said harshly. You snapped your head to the door and saw Sans standing there. His hands were balled up into fists, and his one eye was shining blue. It was also...steaming? He had that malicious look on his face, the one he had that one night a while back... "also, i think she asked you to leave. don't make her ask you again."

Slacks scoffed, looked between the two of you, and slunk past Sans, bumping into him purposefully on his way out. You heard the front door slam. You let out the breath you didn't know you had been holding in. You were also shaking a bit.

"you okay, kid?" Sans asked you. His hands were no longer balled into fists but his eye was a still little blue. You rush over and throw your arms around him.

"T-that was a bit...I was kinda...Yeah, I'm okay now," you stuttered. You could feel tears crinkle in the corners of your eyes. You didn't need to tell him how frightened you were. You snuggled your face into the collar of his soft jacket. He hugged you back.

"i've got you. no worries."

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [[Summary of Marked Part: Study session went well, friend Slacks asked to stay after and study more with Jay. Then he attempts to have nonconsensual sex with her and gets upset. Sans overhears and intervenes, stopping Slacks and telling him to leave, and then comforting Jay.]]


	11. Pocky

You and your friend group all ended up crushing your exams. Slacks was no longer a part of your study group, especially not after what happened between the two of you. You had to talk Eere down from going and beating him up after you briefly told him what happened.

And since Sans had been walking you to and from school, your 'stalker' had quit showing up. It was a bit weird. On one hand, you wondered who they were, and on the other you wondered why they stopped. Was it really just because Sans was with you?

You practically rolled out of your chair after class, brain abuzz with sleepyheaded Friday afternoon thoughts. Class was boring and the air was thick with heat to compensate for how chilly it was outside. You weren't even that tired, but your mind felt fuzzy and clouded. You needed more coffee. A gust of wind whipped your long hair behind you as you exited the school building. You pulled your bag up higher up on your shoulders and shoved your hands into your pockets. Before long, another figure was walking beside you—Sans, of course. He was always waiting somewhere nearby after your class.

"what's up?" he asked. He was high-spirited, a rare sight. You groaned at him in response. "well don't you sound chipper. it's the weekend, perk up!" You shrug. "what have you got going on the rest of the day, sunshine?" He was being sarcastic in response to your bleak attitude.

"Meh. Probably going to stop and get some coffee on the way home. And, considering you insist walking me everywhere, looks like you're tagging along." His smile brightened.

"sounds like fun. that little place in town? near the bookstore?"

"Yea," you said slowly. You also had some other stuff to do, too, but didn't want to drag Sans along with you. Grocery shopping, a paper to print out at the library for next week, and now that Sans mentioned the bookstore you had an itching for a new book... "You're in a good mood, aren't you? What's going on?"

"eh. i actually slept well last night, if you must know." He said this proudly, sticking his chest out a bit. He never really talked about his sleeping habits with anyone, and of what you knew they were very bad. But right now he was exuberant and awake. "that, and, it looks like frisk is going to be staying the night tonight, and maybe tomorrow, too. tori and asgore have to head out of town for a conference, so she's coming over after school. pap is picking her up now."

"Oh, sweet! That sounds like fun." You pause for a second. "Do you not want to get coffee, and just head home to see Frisk? I can just make myself a cup like I do every morning."

"no, let's go get coffee. my treat." Wow, he was in a _really_ good mood. You smiled and nudged him.

"Thanks, man." You were off campus by now. Cars were lurching by. It wasn't too busy of a town but was still near the university, so it had a decent bit of business. You walked past a bunch of monsters in a group, all looping arms and huddling together happily in the cold. You felt something brush the inside of your arm—you look down to see that Sans had looped his arm in yours. You were _completely_ taken aback. Papyrus would have done that any day and it would have been fine, but Sans? Actually having any sort of physical interaction besides elbowing each other?

"is, ahh, is this okay?" he asked you. He must have seen the look of shock on your face. He started blushing. "i mean, if this is weird—"

"N-no, this is totally cool. Just unexpected. You're good, dude." You hugged his arm closer to you, happy that he felt contented with this. The two of you walked comfortably like this to the cute little coffee shop. With a _ting_ of the bell, you walk inside of the shop, _Cocoa Beans._

"here, whatcha want? i'll go order, you can find us a table." His expression puzzled and a soft buzzing was heard from his pocket. He whipped out his phone. When he answered it, you heard the resonant voice of an anxious Papyrus. "oh yea? yea, i'm still with jay...oh?...oh...well, shit. that's a damper." His expression darkened. "i'll be there soon." He hangs up.

"Is everything okay, Sans?"  
"what? oh, yea. papyrus just needs some help real quick." His hand shuffled around in his pocket. He pulled out (more than enough) bills and handed them to you. "i'll be right back. i'll have whatever you have." Then he was out the door.

It had all happened so fast you could barely react. With the bills in hand you approached the counter and order two large vanilla lattes. _We take the same route to and from school every day, I'll just run into him on the way back._ You decide to get the coffees to go.

Also sensibly placed on the counter were cheap boxes of pocky with a sign saying 'Half Off! Pocky-Day Weekend Sale!' You grabbed a couple boxes. You'd heard of that pocky game before, but never actually played it or whatever. Maybe it would be cute to play later with Frisk. Plus, it tasted pretty good. "Sans said to get him whatever I get, so if I get a box of pocky, I should get one for _him_ , too...and I bet Papyrus would like one too, don't want him to feel left out..." you muttered to yourself, reassuring your purchase. Sans probably wouldn't mind, after all. He had given you more than enough money, and if not you could pay him back later.

A few minutes later you walked out of the shop with two steaming lattes in hand and a couple boxes of pocky jangling in your pocket. The lattes were keeping your hands mighty warm. You were practically skipping through town, sipping the one with your name on it, humming a common tune. Seeing Sans in a better mood had put you in a better one (but then again, so had the coffee). It wasn't until you got to your neighborhood that your mood dulled a bit.

You had been walking alone for some time now, maybe fifteen minutes? You were leisurely strolling and taking your time, so who knows. You stopped humming. Maybe Sans wasn't coming back.

It wasn't until you noted Sans' absence that you began to notice some other things. The air felt too still, the crunch of the dried leaves and patches of snow too loud. Even the remaining birds weren't chirping, the whisper of the wind died down. The shadows below you seemed too long, too dark. Out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw someone—

"jay!" Sans called out to you from the opposite direction. He was jogging towards you from the direction of the town. "i thought i told you to wait for me at the coffee shop." He stopped when he got close to you, though he wasn't even breathing heavy after running like he was. "is everything okay? you look a little...tense." You glanced in the direction that you thought you saw the figure...but of course, they were gone. His eyes followed yours, and you swear you saw one of his turn blue.

"N-No! You just scared me, is all." He was having such a good day, you didn't want to worry him. You handed him his latte. You were glad to distract him. "How were you coming from town, anyways? I took the same route we usually do."

"oh, i took a shortcut," he said shortly, taking his coffee and sipping it gingerly. He looped his arm in yours casually, and you were glad he did. "so it turns out flowey came along with frisk over today, that's what the problem was."

"Well, damn." You remembered the horrifically rude potted plant that had attended your Halloween party along with Frisk. "What did he do?"

"chewed through the wiring to the TV, started a fire, and then the sprinklers went off in the house." You almost did a spit-take with your coffee, which you were taking a large gulp of at that moment. "no no, don't worry. pap took care of the fire and i shut off the sprinklers. all of your stuff is okay."  
"I'm not too worried about the stuff, to be honest. Is everyone okay? Frisk wasn't hurt? Even though he seems to be a little brat, I wouldn't want Flowey to get hurt, either."

"everyone's fine, don't worry." He continued on the topic of Flowey. "yea, he's had a _thorn in his side_ since he came out from the underground, hehe. but it's okay. he's actually gotten a lot better, believe it or not." Sans sighed as you both finally approached your house. "living with such loving souls, it's finally starting to rub off on him." You raised your eyebrows, questioning how setting the house on fire is considered 'getting better'.

~~~

The night with Frisk actually went quite splendidly, with Sans and Papyrus translating what she was saying. She was funny and quirky, and reminded you a bit of yourself when you were young. It was really cute to see how easily the boys interacted with her, how even though they were off in years they still were so close.

Flowey, on the other hand, was a bit of a hassle. Everyone had to rotate who would watch him in order to give one another a break ( _How does Toriel do this all the time and stay so positive?_ ). He would spit insults at you, try to knock over random objects, and shoot down any conversation you would attempt. The only person he could tolerate was Frisk. It was noticeable how he wouldn't insult her as often as he would the rest of you.

At around nine-thirty, both Frisk and Flowey were pooped from playing games (and initiating chaos). Frisk signed to you that she was ready for bed and went to go put on her pajamas. You turn to Flowey. "Do _you_ have any pajamas to put on?" you asked with a snicker; he had gotten on your nerves for long enough that you felt comfortable being a bit rude to him. He glowered at you and bared his awkward flower-teeth, but mid-snap began yawning. "C'mon, it's your bedtime, too." You take hold of his pot and carry him over into your bedroom, where Frisk was all changed and tucked into your bed. You put Flowey on the bedside table and quickly go make them both some honeyed milk before bed. Papyrus insisted that he would read to them, so you went to the kitchen to make yourself a sundae for dessert.

"hey, kid." Sans came over and propped up onto the counter. He looked a little tired, but not nearly as much as he usually did. That's what a good night's sleep can get you. "i'm sorry we couldn't sit and have coffee today." He sounded a little timid.

"Yo, don't worry about it," you said, slopping nice cream into a bowl. Even though they didn't ask for any, you pull out bowls for Sans and Papyrus. Such a treat was a deserved treat after babysitting. "Stuff happens! I'm not wrought up about it or anything." You pour some caramel and chocolate syrup over the sundaes, topping each with a squirt of whipped cream. You handed Sans his bowl and put Papyrus' on the table. You then proceeded to fountain some whipped cream out of the can into your mouth. Sans made a gurgling sound of laughter as he tried not to spit out his sundae while laughing at you.

"you're just going at it, huh?" he chortled after swallowing.

You shoot him a wink and scoop the dollop of whipped cream off of his sundae, popping your finger into your mouth. "You know it!"

His face flushed such a deep blue so fast, it was as if his face were a white-to-blue traffic light. You laughed so hard you thought that whipped cream was going to come spurting out of your nose.

Papyrus came in, stretching his arms out above him with a huge yawn. "THE YOUNG ONES ARE ASLEEP," he said. He was trying to be quiet, but was still at a muffled-yell sound level. "OOOOO, NICE CREAM!"

~~~

The next morning, you absolutely _had_ to do your chores. Your fridge was almost empty, your paper needed to be written, and you were supposed to meet up with Myst and Eere to work on an upcoming project (even though you would probably only end up hanging out and only loosely planning said project).

Luckily, you woke up early enough to chug some coffee and crank out most of that paper. By the time you were done most of the rest of the house was up and about. Mettaton and his assistant, Marchia, stopped by to pick up Frisk to go clothes shopping for her upcoming school pictures. Mettaton made sure to lovingly comment on your unbrushed hair as you hugged him, to which you rolled your eyes and pecked him on the cheek. Marchia, the pale, reptilian monster you had met once before, gave you an odd look as she carried Frisk's toy bag to the car. She probably wasn't as used to humans, or at least not as used to you.

At around noon you went to go pick up Eere and Myst and went to the library and rented out a room to do some studying. But for the most part, you all just watched funny videos and goofed around. Eere kept trying to balance on his third arm jutting out of the top of his head, and every time he fell you and Myst were in stitches. By the end of it, all that you guys had done was get a basic outline done and divided the work up. With a shrug you packed up your stuff and drove the boys home. It was a relaxing time with friends, after all. It left you in a good mood.

After you dropped Myst off (who lived not-so-surprisingly close to a graveyard), you drove to the grocery store. Everything in the store was focused around food. Thanksgiving was right around the corner, and today was...oh, it was pocky day. You remembered the few boxes teetering on the edge of your cabinet in the kitchen, hoping that Flowey and/or Papyrus hadn't gotten to them already.

A sudden thought popped into your mind of you playing that Pocky game with Sans.

You felt a bewildered expression spread across your face as a result of that thought. Where had _that_ come from? You chuckled to yourself while grabbing some milk. You tried not to ponder on it as you checked the rest of your grocery list.

~~~

You got home to find that, indeed, someone had gotten into the boxes of pocky. Frisk was trying to get Flowey to play it with her and was giggling adorably whenever he would turn his petals away in an angry blush. Sans was lazily dumping a box into his mouth while relaxing on the couch. Papyrus was kind enough to help you carry in your groceries, inquiring about the different foods you brought home this time.

"Hey, Frisk. Having fun there?" You go and sit down next to her, ignoring the glowering from Flowey. She nods excitedly and sticks the piece of pocky out of her mouth, offering it to you. With a chuckle you lean down and snap off a piece with your teeth, breaking it off about an inch from her mouth. Frisk bursts into a fit of giggles and starts clapping excitedly. She was so cute.

"OH, SO THAT IS WHAT YOU DO?" Papyrus inquired. "SHE WOULD NOT EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE GAME WAS, ONLY SAYING 'TRY IT, TRY IT'!" He puts a stick of pocky into his mouth and loudly mumbles, "CME'RE FRISK! MMY TURN!" Papyrus leans down onto the carpet, holding his pocky end out to Frisk. She goes in to bite a teeny-tiny part off. Papyrus' face dropped a little, but then Frisk suddenly jumped up and bit all of the pocky out from between his teeth, and in doing so planted a big kiss on him!

You, Sans, and even Flowey broke down in laughter at the surprised expression that smacked onto Papyrus' face. Papyrus' cheeks glowed a bright pinkish-red and he swept Frisk up into a hug, following it up with a big noogie.

Once the cackling in the room died down, there was a knock on the door. It was Toriel coming to pick Frisk and Flowey up; Papyrus let her in with a grin. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sans look at you. _Of course, he must be nervous about Toriel._

Your imagination put Sans on his tippy-toes trying to reach up and play the pocky game with Toriel, her leaning down and kissing him gently, embracing him in her furry arms...

Your stomach gave a tiny _pang._

What the hell is running through my mind? you thought to yourself. Your imagination was going out of whack.

You didn't have time to dwell on these...odd thoughts, as Toriel approached you. She pulled you into a fuzzy hug with one hand (the other was holding Flowey, who would have most likely bitten you had he gotten too close). "Thank you so much for watching these darlings while we were away," she said with a big smile. She was so warm and fluffy to hug, and you didn't really want to let go. Her motherly attitude made it that much better.

"You and Asgore went to a conference, correct?" you asked her. "How did it go?" Asgore now being a major representative for monsters had to occasionally travel in order to attend meetings and whatnot. Political stuff.

A look of apprehension crossed Toriel's face as she eyed Frisk quickly. _Oh. Not around the kids._ You nodded understandingly.

You give Frisk a tight hug before she was swept up into Toriel's free arm. Frisk waved at you from over her adoptive-mom's shoulder as you saw they out the door. You swing it shut with a smile. You turn around to see Papyrus picking up crumbs off of the carpet; Sans was twiddling with his phone, munching on a stick of his own. Strutting over, you reach over to Sans' face and snap off the end of the pocky hanging from his mouth and pop it into your own. You heard him start grumbling in objection, but he was avoiding your eye and had a slightly blue tinge on his cheeks. You snigger and help out Papyrus cleaning up after the kids.

~~~

After a couple more hours of just kind of lazing around, you go to put the finishing touches on your paper. You groan and run your fingers through your hair yet again, propping your elbows onto your desk. A soft vibration came from your back pocket—a text. You open it, thankful for a distraction. It was from Sans.

_do you mind if i take the last box of pocky? –sans_

You quickly tap out a response. _Not at all, go ham._

_really, ham? that would be gross with the chocolate ;) –sans_

For whatever reason, the little winky face at the end of his text made you a bit...giddy, somewhat? You couldn't really pinpoint the feeling. It was just a winky face. It's not like he hadn't ever sent you winky faces before; it's not like he was flirting with you.

Why was that the first thing to pop into your head? Sans, flirting with you? Why was he on your mind so much today?

With a disgruntled sigh you slam your laptop closed and stood up. "Whatever," you huff to yourself. You shook your head and climbed into bed, insistent on sleeping whatever weird feelings you were having away.


	12. Thanksgiving

Even though you were enjoying your time at school, you really were looking forward to go home for your Thanksgiving break. You had talked to the higher-up staff at the university to get excused absences from for your "human holiday". It was the weekend before you went home and Papyrus was making it way too obvious he wanted you to invite him to your "Giving Thanks" holiday. You were both in your room and he was sitting on your bed while you were packing for your trip home.

"BUT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS. WHY THE FOOD?"

"I don't know, it's just kind of a traditional lineup of stuff. I guess it's a play off of what they had at the assumed original Thanksgiving. But the pilgrims were actually kinda dickbags...I explained this to you before, Pap."

"YES, BUT...WHY THE THANKS? WHY THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY?"

"Why do you celebrate love on Valentine's Day? I don't know, haha. It is what it is." You toss some T-shirts towards your bag. "Kind of like Christmas, but Thanksgiving isn't based off of religion. Just a time to be with friends and family."

"...ARE SANS AND I NOT YOUR FRIENDS?" Papyrus wasn't looking at you. He was blushing. You roll your eyes and toss a pair of jeans that hit him square in the face.

"Of course you are. At the moment, probably my best ones." You sighed. "I...I've already asked my parents if you could come. They...said no." Papyrus' face fell even further.

"WHY NOT?" For him, this was rather quiet.

"They..." You paused. "They are...they don't..." You didn't know how to put it. There was no nice way to put it. "My parents are kinda...racist." You stopped yet again, another t-shirt clutched in your hand. "I came from a neighborhood that isn't too accepting of monster-folk. By comparison, my parents aren't even that bad. But that's no excuse." Your knuckles were turning white and your fingers hurt. You were probably wrinkling the fabric, but you didn't care. "They just don't want to have monsters in the direct area. They're scared of what the neighbors will think."

There were too many phone arguments with your parents. Your parents were hesitantly supportive of your aspirations, sure. They lived in a primarily human-populated area, but they believed that the segregation would just work itself out over time. They also thought that it was...inspirational that you were living with two monsters; then again, they thought that it was a bit 'over the top'. But they were your parents and the loved you. Slowly, they seemed to be becoming more accepting. But still. You were pissed off at them for this. It wasn't fair.

"Oh."

This was the first time you had ever heard Papyrus talk so quietly. You were bewildered.

Suddenly, his expression shot back up to its normal excitement and his voice cheerful again. "THEN WHY DON'T YOU INVITE THEM OVER HERE? THEY DON'T WANT MONSTERS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT WHO SAYS THEY CAN'T CELEBRATE HERE?" He leapt off of your bed and approached you confidently.

"W-Well, I don't think it works like that—"

"WHAT'S THE HURT IN ASKING?" His voice was softer again as he put his hand on your back. He did have a very good point.

"Okay. For you." You winked and showed him out the door, pulling up your home phone number. This would be the first time in a while you would be calling your family. You stared at the number, reading over it a few times before dialing it. You take a deep breath and hit 'call'.

"Hello?" Your mother's voice picked up after the first few tones. "Jay?"

"Hi, Mom." You smiled. She sounded happy to hear your voice. You exchanged some small talk for a few minutes. It was nice to catch up. Then she brought up Thanksgiving.

"Uhh...Mom? About Thanksgiving. I have a couple questions."

"Sure, darling! Go ahead!"

"So...we aren't having anyone over this year, right?"

"No, it's going to be just us four again. Your brother might be late, though. Apparently he has another project coming up." She sighed. Your brother, James, was always busy with school and sports. But you loved him all the same; he was one of your best friends. He, unlike your parents, also supported the ideas of taking action for equality of the monsters, but he was pretty shy and didn't like talking about it as much.

"Well, uhhh. If you guys want to, I, uhh, thought it might be cool if we were to have it here. At my place."

The silence was unnerving.

"Oh." That was all she said for a good minute. But then, she finally followed up with something completely surprising. "Well, I don't see why not."

You felt your eyebrows shoot up your forehead in shock. "R-Really?"

"Yes, I don't see why not." Her voice sounded slightly strained, but you could tell she was really trying. She knew you well enough to know that you wouldn't have asked if it didn't mean something to you. The fact that she was willing to come out... Your heart skipped a couple beats and a huge smile spread across your face.

"Awesome! Wow, okay!" You were bouncing up and down on your toes in jubilation. "I can get the stuff set up pretty quick! And you and dad could take my room, James could take the couch. No problem!"

"Jay, dear, who said we were staying the night?" Her voice was soothing, but the words stung. "It's a far drive, but we can all get back just fine."

That made sense. It was already enough that she was wanting to come see you. "Oh, yea! My bad. I can't wait!"

Your mother and you sorted through some of the details quickly before deciding that the meal would be around 4pm for an earlier dinner. and they would show up around 3 for socializing/helping set up. It was about a four-hour drive, so they would probably leave by latest around 7.

You hung up in a better mood than expected. A way better mood. You flung your bedroom door open to see Papyrus pacing in front of the couch, where Sans had made himself comfortable. You run over to Papyrus and leap into him with a hug. "They said yes!" you hollered. And with hoots and cries echoing through the house, you and the bone brothers began preparing for the excess amount of humans.

~~~

"IF IT IS NOT TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE, I COULD SEE IF I COULD FIT IT IN..." You walked into the kitchen on Wednesday evening to find Papyrus in the kitchen checking on the ingredients.

"Who are you on the phone with, Pap?" You spoke quietly so he could hear the person on the line. You pulled out the bag of potatoes, making sure you had enough for the recipes.

"TORIEL!" he mouthed, covering up the bottom of the phone. "SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO BRING THE DESSERT, AND THAT SHE AND ASGORE WILL LET US BORROW THEIR BIG DINING ROOM TABLE! I JUST HUNG UP WITH UNDYNE AND ALPHYS, THEY ARE BRINGING THE APPETIZERS! METTATON AND NAPSTABLOOK ARE BRINGING THE CASSEROLE AND CORNBREAD, MUFFET IS BRINGING DRINKS, AND GRILLBY IS COMING OVER TO HELP WITH THE TURKEY!"

If your jaw could have physically dropped to the floor, it would have. You could feel your eyes were wide as dinner plates. It was going to be a struggle enough with introducing just two monsters to your parents, but now most of your freaking posse was showing up? Great. Great. Great.

You couldn't even comment while Papyrus finished up his conversation. "Papyrus, I mean, I know it's usually the more the merrier, but..." You tallied up the numbers in your head. Including Flowey and Frisk, you had... "Thirteen people? What?! Plus my family, another three? How are we all going to fit?"

Papyrus opened his mouth then closed it again. After doing this a few more times, he finally muttered, "PLUS TEMMIE, THAT'S SEVENTEEN."

You threw your hands up in submission, then placing one on your forehead, kneading out the oncoming headache. You glazed your eyes over the kitchen and the living room. You were trying to decipher how this was going to work. If we put the dining room table there, and then move the couch over there...

You felt a soft tap on the back of your head. Sans was bonk-ing you with a wooden spoon. "we can make it work." He smiled at you and you couldn't help but smile back, feeling your headache receding. Sans' aura was so relaxed, per usual. He knew how to calm you down with just the tone of his voice. The brothers were here to help. Even though it would probably be overwhelming for your family, it would be really nice to have everyone over again.

You poke Sans right between his eye sockets, pushing him backwards slightly with a smirk. He rocked back forward and pretended to snap his teeth at your outstretched finger with a grin. "We're just going to need another turkey," you giggled.

~~~

You pounded on Sans' door for the third time that Thursday morning. "C'mon, Sans. Time to cook and get ready! It's already eleven, and we have a LOT to do!" You rapped your knuckles again on his door.

Grillby was already over and in the kitchen tinkering with the seasonings for the two turkeys and Papyrus was awaiting you downstairs while he boiled potatoes. It was already hot enough downstairs with the stove and oven being cranked up, but it was even more so with the presence of Grillby, the fire elemental. Because of this, you were sporting a spaghetti-strapped tank with short shorts, had your hair up lazily, and were still sweating profusely. Even Papyrus had stripped down to a loose tank in comparison to his normal shirt. Grillby, however, was in a slouchy purple sweater and black slacks, covered up with a spare cooking apron.

Sans swung open his door with closed eyes (somehow?). He yawned. He was rubbing at his eye socket sleepily. His eyes finally opened and you saw them rake over you. You felt your already flushed cheeks tinge a bit darker. For some reason, it seemed like his did, too. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm a sweaty mess. Now get your butt downstairs with us, you're not cheaping out on all the work." You raised your eyebrows at him. "Let's go, lazybones."

You left him to go back downstairs and join the other boys in the blistering heat. You cracked open a window in the living room and the one above the kitchen sink. You instructed Papyrus on how to mash the potatoes and started on making the stuffing with Grillby, mushing everything into a bowl with your hands. Grillby couldn't do it himself, considering he would cook it if he tried.

Grillby was the brooding silent type. When he did speak, he had the most interesting voice. It sounded like the soft crackling of wood in a bonfire, the sound of snapping wood in heat; somehow, these sounds were strung together in such a way that he was annunciating words. It resulted in the oddest accent, a low and rumbling one. It was fascinating. At one point you got so distracted listening to him describe his seasoning methods that you stopped smushing the stuffing, staring at the way the flames flickered around his maw. He noticed you gawking and coughed softly, waking you from your inappropriate gaze.

Sans finally came lumbering downstairs as you were helping Papyrus use the electric blender for the potatoes, and Grillby was popping the turkeys into the oven for their first round of cooking. It became a busy kitchen very fast, and everyone was sliding by one another in attempts to get to what they needed to. Papyrus was mainly working on the cheesy potatoes, Grillby went to work on the roasted vegetables, and you started putting together stuff for a salad. Sans started organizing stuff in the living room, and good time for it, too. Soon Toriel, Asgore, Frisk, and Flowey were at the door.

You were embraced in a couple furry hugs—which left a few white strands behind due to you being a sweaty mess. Frisk was quick to leap up into your arms and you carried her into the kitchen, letting her take a fingerful of the potatoes with a giggle. Frisk told you (with Papyrus' translation) that she helped Toriel make the pies for dessert, a snail pie and a butterscotch cinnamon one.

Soon enough it was almost two o'clock and you needed to hop in the shower before your parents showed up. You excused yourself just as Muffet showed up with her spider cider. After quickly washing yourself of the excess sweat, you brush through your hair and toss on a light grey sweater dress with some brown leggings, along with tall brown boots. You could hear a commotion in the living room.

Practically everyone was there besides your family and it was almost three. Your stomach curled up in knots at the thought of them showing up. It was too late to turn back now.

Asgore and Sans were pushing the tables together and Muffet and Grillby were setting up the chairs around them. The living room crowded up fast. You decided it would probably be best to go and wait for your parents out front.

You squat down and sit on the steps leading up to the front door, your breath curling through the crisp air. You checked your phone. It was 2:54pm. You shove your phone back into your pocket with a huff and curl your fingers into your sweaterdress. It was snowing and the flakes were spiraling down daintily. If you weren't so nervous, you would have probably taken the time to appreciate the beauty. But your gaze was glazed over in anxiety. Your knees bobbed up and down and you crossed your arms with a shiver, gazing down the slickened street.

You heard the jarring sound of the click and squeaking open of the front door. You heard padded footsteps and the clicking of the door shutting again. Asgore took a seat beside you on the steps. "Good afternoon, Jay," he said sweetly. His voice was so deep and rumbling that you could feel it resonate through your chest. "It's getting pretty hot in there, with all of the cooking going on." He tugged at the collar of his large, chunky sweater.

"So, I understand that you asked Toriel the other day how my last conference went." He curled his fingers together in front of him.

"I mean, if it's too personal or somethi—"

"No, no. You should know." He nodded solemnly. If he hadn't looked so serious, you would have asked him why you, of all people, should know. "It was under the state senate, and as the head representative of monsters right now, I was the one to pitch the ideals for a new bill." He paused.

"What was the bill about?"

"It was for, ahh. For giving monsters the right to vote in state elections." He started tapping his pawed hands together.

"It doesn't sound like it went well."

"No, it didn't." His eyebrows busheled together on his forehead. "We didn't get the vote to pass it." He sounded frustrated. "We have representatives, yes, but it's not like we have any authority. Even though we take up the same space, we are considered lesser." He sighed. "We hold our own elections, yes, but its like we have our own form of government in the same country."

Your heart ached. There was an entire race of people who were barely even acknowledged, having to live like less than people in a country that claims to be based so strongly in equality...

You reached over and put your hand on his clasped furry ones. "I'm sorry that it didn't go well. But if you keep fighting for your voice to be heard, then it will be." He looked down at you. "I'm just sad that some people don't think it's an important enough message to listen to." His eyebrows raised in surprise but his expression melted into that of gratitude.

"It's not your fault that some don't want to listen. Thank you for showing such kindness." He took your hand in his. "Humans like you give me hope that there will be a day we can be seen as equal." The way he was smiling made you do so, too. Everything about him was warm and compassionate; you could clearly see why he had once been king of the monsters.

He gave your hand a light squeeze before standing up. "It's a bit cold. I'm going to head back inside. Unless you would like me to wait for your parents out here with you?"

You shook your head, waving him inside. "It's okay. It might be better for me to see them first." He nodded understandingly then lumbered inside.

It was another ten minutes before your family showed up. You were just about to head inside when you saw their car pulling down the street. Your stomach was doing flips and you did your best to smack on a grin as your parents approached.

Your brother, James, was the first to greet you, wrapping you up in a big hug and lifting you off the ground, yelling about how excited he was to see you. "It's been months, Jay! Learn how to pick up the phone and call me, will ya?" he chortled.

"It's not like you ever called me either, loser." You laughed as your brother set you down. He was a few years younger than you but already so much taller. You were always told he looked exactly like you, but his sandy blonde hair was the biggest difference. Besides the height, of course.

Your parents both approached you next, pulling you simultaneously into a half-hug each. "How's my girl doin?" Your dad beamed. "We've missed you!"

"Oh, honey," your mother cooed, "we've missed you so much!"

There was a minute or two of small talk before your brother announced how hungry he was. You bit your lip. "There are, ahh, more people here than we originally planned," you said hesitantly. "A lot more."

Your mother was about to speak up, but your brother luckily stepped in. "The more the merrier, right? The longer we stand out here, the hungrier I'm getting. C'mon." He snagged your shoulder and turned you around, walking you towards the front door. You internally thanked him. He could probably tell you were uncomfortable. You heard your parents crunch along in the snow behind you, and you swung open the door to find the room hustling and bustling with all of the monsters who had arrived.

Grillby and Muffet were seated at the end and were chatting happily. Papyrus was conversing with Mettaton, Napstablook, and Alphys at the other end of the table. Temmie was in the corner twitching awkwardly. Frisk was swinging her legs over the edge of the chair she was sitting on, patting Flowey's grumpy head softly. When she saw you, Frisk leapt up and came to hug your leg. Toriel was loudly telling people to get out of the way as she carried one of the turkeys to the table; Asgore was sticking his fingers into the gravy thinking no one was looking. The only one you weren't seeing was Sans—

"could i take your coats?" a deep voice asked beside you. Your breathing hitched. Of course Sans would be the one to scare you like that.

Your brother happily obliged, tossing his coat into Sans' arms easily and introducing himself. Your parents were very hesitant, but they politely followed suit, slowly making their way into the room.

Now that everyone was here, it began to settle down and everyone started getting officially seated. Your mom and dad were seated next to Grillby and Papyrus respectfully, where Papyrus was excitedly initiating conversation. Your parents looked a little uncomfortable being surrounded by so many monsters.

You took a seat next to Sans, with Frisk on the other side of you and your brother James sitting across from you. Your brother was beside Toriel and Temmie, and Temmie was bouncing up and down saying "TEMMIE!" repeatedly.

With a voice like peaceful thunder, Asgore started to say grace from the head of the table. Once finished, hands were reaching everywhere across the table trying to snag all of the variety, passing platters and plates back and forth. You helped serve Frisk some of whatever she would point to—and although she objected, you insisted on giving her some extra vegetables. Both James and Sans sneered as Frisk crinkled her eyebrows together. You whispered to her that she could have an extra piece of pie for dessert, though, and her face lit back up into an elated smile.

You looked down the table at your parents to see how they were doing. Your mom was in a conversation with Papyrus and was laughing at his explanation of something; your father was talking with Muffet about what you guessed was something either economically related. As each of them eyed you, they shot you a smile. They seemed to be...having a good time. Your mood lifted instantly.

"pardon me," Sans gruffed as he bent practically across your lap to reach the stuffed mushrooms. His jacket hood brushed against your face before you could had the chance to lean backwards. You gave him a questioning glance (though you were more questioning as to why a blush rose to your cheeks).

"You could've just asked me to get you some," you snickered.

"i dunno, you seemed pretty invested in those mashed potatoes," he joked back.

"Oh, the ones you practically stuck your elbow in?" His shoulders shook with a laugh.

"oh, bite me." He sat back down and popped a mushroom into his mouth with a grin.

You felt a foot collide with your right shin and almost cried out. Across the table, James was wagging his eyebrows at you with a smirk spread across his face. He continued to wiggle his brows as he intentionally flicked his eyes between you and Sans. In response, you shake your head and roll your eyes.

_There's nothing going on between Sans and I._

~~~

Everyone's pants felt a little bit tighter after finishing their meal, and even more so after Toriel served up the pies. Your mom even hesitantly asked for a second piece of the snail-pie. Much to your surprise, the night went swimmingly.

James helped you clear the table and walked with you to the kitchen to do some of the dishes. Grillby was loading the dishwasher and Muffet was pouring wine for those who wanted it.

"Not going to lie," James mumbled to you while you started soaking the dishes, "I was pumped that you invited us up here." He elbowed you kindly. "Mom and dad seem to be having a good time too, eh?"

"Yea," you said with a smile. You let your eyes wander into the living room, where your dad was talking with Sans and your mom was patting a spastic Temmie. "They're...doing a lot better than I thought they would." You shrugged.

"It's not like they hate monsters," James responded. He started to put the dishes into the dishwasher. "It's just...I think they needed this. Even though it's only a few hours, I think they need this kind of exposure." You nodded in agreement. "This was really cool. I want to do this again. I've missed you." He bumped his shoulders against yours.

"I've missed you too, bro." And you really had. He was one of your best friends, after all. Your friends here were all awesome, but your brother was still your brother. It was nice to be here with him.

You two go back into the living room and converse for about a few hours with everyone. Soon enough, eight o'clock rolled around. Your mom was surprised that it was that late; it was an hour later than your family had planned on leaving, but they didn't seem too upset by it. Your parents even hugged most of the monsters before leaving. Apparently your dad and Asgore had gotten off really well, and your mom and Papyrus even exchanged phone numbers. You were honestly elated that your family took the chance and tried to be accepting for once.

James and your parents got their coats and, waving a lot of goodbyes, headed out the door. You followed them to go and say farewell on your own.

Your dad slung his arm over your shoulder. "Hey, Jay. This was nice."

"You bet it was!" James chimed up, punching your arm. "I want to come out here more." Your mom rolled her eyes.

"We would have to talk about that, young man." She patted his shoulder. Your dad and your brother each gave you quick hugs before wandering off to the car. Your mom stuck back a moment to talk with you. "How are you holding up, Jay?"

"I could ask you the same thing," you mumbled. She was a lot calmer than when she arrived, but still seemed a bit wrung up. "You, ahh, looked like you had a good time."

She nodded. "This was...a lot better than I expected." You wanted to ask what she had expected, but you bit your tongue. "This seems like a good group of monsters you're hanging around.

"Well, they're not gonna eat me, if that's what you're worried about," you chuckled. She chuckled a bit back. "I'm glad you all came."


	13. Holy Jolly Christmas Party

You no longer enjoyed watching TV. All it was blaring about nowadays were the mobs of monsters that would gather outside of courthouses and how mobs of humans would follow up. These were becoming more and more frequent. The monsters wanted their equality, and the humans wanted them to stay in their place.

There was, however, news of a sort of…mesh. There were only whispers about it, infrequent occurrences of groups having both humans and monsters. They were calling themselves the Unity or something like that. Humans that connected with the monsters, that were minorities, or at least were being treated as such. You had only heard about it through the murmurs in the school hallways, but it stuck out like a sore thumb.

_So I’m not the only one._

~~~

Finally. It was finals week. You were up to your ears in projects, papers, and of course you needed to study for the actual tests. For the last few weeks, your study group had upped the number of meetings to three times a week, and you would actually get work done while hanging out. Eere was permanently freaking out, Pashune was trying to play it cool, and if Myst wasn’t already quiet enough he was practically silent unless speaking about something classwork-related.

Time absolutely _flew_ by. Your brain was so fried by that Friday that you could barely string together a timeline of the past weeks. If you weren’t already addicted to coffee by now, it seemed to be the only thing that was keeping you alive. Instead of going out to party with your friends that night, you came home after your last test and completely crashed.

_Your vision was blurry, but you thought you could make out a figure in the distance. Your steps were sloshy and slow. You tried to shorten the distance between the two of you, but the closer you tried to get the further they moved away. Though you were still at a good distance, their body structure and posture were familiar to you._

“Sans?” you called out. The figure turned around. “Sans!” The short skeleton was getting closer, smiling at you. He called your name from afar. Your steps were still wobbly but he was bounding towards you. He looked so happy, so happy to see you. You smiled back at him. You reached out to embrace him, and he was leaning in close…He was calling your name, louder, louder…

“JAY!”

Your eyelids snapped open. In a haze, you could make out Papyrus standing in front of you. He was wearing his pajamas and a pair of slippers that were way too small for him; he was probably borrowing a pair of Sans’. You were in your room and it was dark outside, but Papyrus had turned on your bedroom light. You groggily leaned up, feeling saliva hanging from the side of your mouth. You wiped at it hastily. _Wow. I must have really knocked out._

“I AM NOT SANS, YOU SILLY!”

_Great, so I was saying Sans’ name in my sleep._

“GOOD EVENIN-I MEAN, GOOD MORNING, JAY!” Papyrus giggled at you. He stuck out his hands. There he held a steaming-hot plate of spaghetti. Surprisingly, this batch looked somewhat edible. “I HATE TO WAKE YOU, BUT I REALIZED YOU HADN’T BEEN EATING MUCH LATELY. YOU ALSO HAVE BEEN SLEEPING FOR THE PAST ELEVEN HOURS, SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO WAKE YOU AND PROVIDE YOU WITH FOOD.”

“ _Eleven hours?!_ ” You had gotten home at what, 2pm? It was freaking one in the morning?! You took the plate from Papyrus’ hands. The smell was alluring and your stomach growled hungrily. As you were munching down, you noted how observant Papyrus was of you. He cared so much. You were overcome with gratitude and made sure to thank him multiple times before he went to go and do the dishes.

You stretched and groaned as your joints popped. You lumbered out of your room into the living room where Papyrus was setting up Christmas decorations. Shoot. It was already December 12th. “Hey, Pap. Is there anything I can help with?”

“AS FOR RIGHT NOW, NO. I WAS ABOUT TO HEAD TO BED ONCE I PUT THESE LAST PIECES OF TINSEL UP.” He was reaching up ever so high while balancing on a kitchen chair, placing a small strand of tinsel onto the decorated tree that had miraculously appeared in the past few hours.

“You sure? I’m not really all that tired, now that I’ve gotten a decent amount of sleep.” That was kind of a lie. You were still drowsy. But you wanted to wake yourself up in order to help out; had Papyrus been doing this by himself all day? You suddenly felt a pang of guilt. You frowned.

Papyrus read your expression perfectly. “NOT TO WORRY, JAY. SANS WAS HELPING ME OUT EARLIER, WE HAD SOME NICE BROTHER-BONDING TIME!” He finished placing the last piece of tinsel, then hopped off of the chair and crawled under the tree. After a bit of fumbling, the tree burst into light. It looked absolutely beautiful. “TOMORROW—ER, WELL, TODAY—THOUGH, I HAVE SOME CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES FOR US TO DO!”

“Oh yea? Like what?” You started making your way into the kitchen.

“LIKE MAKING GINGERBREAD HOUSES, MAYBE SOME ORNAMENTS, AND I HAVEN’T PUT UP THE DECORATIONS OUTSIDE YET—OH NO YOU DON’T!” Papyrus had seen that you were hobbling towards the coffee machine. It was still on from the morning before, and your brain was begging for another cup…

Papyrus got to it before you. He unplugged it and swiftly swept it up into his arms.

“Hey! That’s my coffee maker!”

“SO?” He pouted.

“I want some coffee.”

“IT’S ONE IN THE MORNING!”

“What’s your point?”

“JAY! I’VE LET YOU GUZZLE THIS DOWN THROUGH YOUR FINALS, AND NOW THAT YOU’RE ON BREAK YOU SHOULD REALLY START CARING ABOUT YOUR HEALTH!” He hugged the coffee maker closer to himself, spilling a little on his bright pajamas. “PLUS, YOUR SLEEPING SCHEDULE WILL SCREW UP EVEN MORE. IT’S ALMOST AS BAD AS SANS’ NOWADAYS!”

The pent-up stress from the past few days was finally rearing its ugly head. “And what do you know about human health, huh? Last time I checked, you weren’t one,” you retorted angrily. The words were out of your mouth before you could stop them.

“YEA, AND LAST TIME I CHECKED YOU WERE A NICE ONE!” he snapped back at you.

“woah woah woah,” Sans interrupted. Per usual, you hadn’t heard him come in. It was no surprise that he was awake. As Papyrus had just stated, Sans’ sleeping habits were still absolutely horrid. You still saw the blue glow from inside of his room every once in a while. Whenever you did, you would always make a cup of hot honeyed milk to place outside of his door.

But that wasn’t on the forefront of your mind right now. Sans stepped in between you and Papyrus. “let’s everybody take a breather here before i ask what the hell is goin on.”

You glared at your feet on the tiled floor. You scrunched your toes together in frustration. After a few seconds, though, you closed your eyes and took some deep breaths. Papyrus was only trying to help, and you were being a jerk to him. He had even made you dinner this late at night, for fuck’s sake. Your shoulders heaved in a sigh. You were being unreasonable and you knew it. You nodded and looked up at the taller of the brothers.

“Papyrus, I’m—“

“NO JAY, I’M SORRY. IT WAS WRONG OF ME TO TAKE YOUR THINGS.” He held out the coffeemaker to you while hanging his head.

“No, Pap, you were only looking out for me. I overreacted and was being an ass. I should be the one who’s sorry.” You took the appliance from him and placed it on the countertop, instead pulling him in for a hug. “I’m sorry,” you repeated.

Once you were done hugging, Papyrus grinned at you. He reached towards the coffee pot—but Sans suddenly snatched it before Papyrus could. “i’m gonna have to agree with pap’s previous statement on this one. we may not be human, but too much of anything isn’t good for you.” He raised his browbones at you. “you really have been having a hellova lot of this lately, you know.”

You didn’t want to tally up the average amount of cups per day, because you knew it would be over three.

“pap might not have the _backbone_ to keep this from you—“ (Papyrus glowered at Sans) “—but i do. so.” His phalanges rapped on the plastic. “if you want coffee, you’re gonna have to go through me.” With a wink and a smirk, he pulled the appliance under his arm and started towards the stairs.

You groaned halfheartedly. You were still pissed off that you wouldn’t be getting coffee tonight. Plus, if you wanted coffee now, you had to go and ask Sans for it? How ridiculous was that? You would have to go and talk to Sans every morning when you needed a cup, knock on his door, wake him up, see that cute little grumpy expression he has when he first wakes up—

Hold up.

_Did I just call him cute?_

Oh no. Ohhhhh no no no no no _no._

Wheels you didn't know existed began turning in your head. It was all starting to add up. The little pangs you would get in your stomach. The random blushes. The fucking dream you had _not even an hour ago._

You felt your face flush scarlet. No. You couldn’t. He was your roommate. He was your friend. He was your best friend’s brother.

“JAY?” Papyrus asked you. You had probably been staring off into space, your face growing redder and redder by the second. “IS EVERYTHING OKAY?”

“Yes, yep, everything is fine.” You knew you said this too quickly. “I am, ahh, I’m actually feeling tired after all.” You turned on your heel and made a beeline for your room. “Goodnight!”

You slammed your door behind you, scrambled over to your bed, and flopped face-first onto your pillows. After heaving a deep sigh, you turned over. The ceiling was not very entertaining to look at, but you stared nonetheless.

_Do I like Sans?_

~~~

“YES, THE CHRISTMAS PARTY IS TONIGHT! DIDN’T I TELL YOU ABOUT IT?”

“No, Papyrus, you didn’t!”

“I TOLD YOU LAST WEEK WHILE YOU WERE TAKING A BREAK FROM STUDYING, I ASSUMED YOU WOULD REMEMBER!”

It was December 18th, the Friday before you went home for a week, and apparently you had a Christmas party at the Dreemurr’s house.

You scampered around the house in a rushing daze. Your wallet was in your room, your coat and shoes were in the closet, where the hell was your purse?

“woah, woah, kid. slow down.” You felt a hand on your shoulder and almost fell over tying your boot. You shook your head in disagreement.

You also noted his hand on your shoulder for a moment too long.

Then you did the best you could to push that thought to the back of your mind.

It was decently easy to shove your feelings—no, you didn’t have any feelings—aside whenever you went to him for coffee in the mornings. You two were both so sleepy that you barely acknowledged one another. Even as you started to wake up, you just enjoyed each other’s company, maybe even had a decent little conversation. It was nice. Sans was nice. Sans was a wonderful friend.

_We are JUST. FRIENDS._

“Sans, I can’t slow down. I completely forgot about the party, and I don’t have a gift for my goddamn secret Santa.” You rushed into your room to snatch your wallet and to change into a Christmas sweater.

“who’s your secret santa?” Sans prodded. He was outside the door so his voice was a bit muffled, but you can tell he was smiling deviously. “whatcha gonna get them?”

“I’m not going to tell you,” you snickered. You pulled your coat on and started searching for your wallet. Did it fall under your desk…?

Your secret Santa was actually Toriel, but you weren’t going to flat-out _tell_ him. Plus, you already had gifts for both him and Papyrus, anyways.

“See you at the party, bonehead.” And with that you fumbled out the door into the snow. With shivering hands you got into your car and headed to the closest cooking store—they must have some cute stuff there, right? Toriel was a great baker.

Upon arriving, you picked out a pair of stuffy oven mitts and a large pink apron that said “Sweet As It Gets” on it. You asked for it to be wrapped (which you thanked your stars was an option) and drove as fast as you could over to the Dreemurr house. You were late. Great.

You saw that a small car was there dropping Mettaton off. You went and greeted your robotic friend with a light kiss. Marchia, his assistant, was staring at you awkwardly from the front window. While you were walking to the front door with Mettaton, you glanced over your shoulder to watch the car pull away.

You had to knock three times before someone answered the door, it was already so loud inside. Muffet was the one to let you inside with a big grin and a hug—you noted the gigantic glass of eggnog in her hand. She giggled and took your gift over to the already gigantic pile. Next to see you was Asgore, who immediately handed you your own pitcher of eggnog as he swept you into a hug. He was singing “Oh Come, All Yee Faithful” in his deep, resonating voice. You could hear voices coming from the kitchen so you migrated that way. You sipped on the eggnog; it was very strong.

The entrance to the kitchen/dining room was blocked off by a giggly little Frisk in a Santa hat too big for her head. She pointed at the ceiling, and you looked up to see a little bundle of mistletoe hanging there. You leaned down and planted a big kiss on her cheek. She latched onto your neck after signing “Merry Christmas” to you a multitude of times. After forcing you to give her another dozen kisses, she finally let go in search of Christmas cookies.

“Jay!” Undyne chortled. You were pulled into light conversation with her, Toriel, Napstablook, and Grillby, who had been talking about how they were going to be spending their actual Christmas holiday.

“Well,” you shrugged, “I guess I’ll be going back home to my parent’s house. I’m guessing I’ll be back by New Year’s, though.”

“Phew, I’m glad to hear!” Toriel giggled. “I was wanting you to babysit the children again; they absolutely adore you.” Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Frisk peeking at you from behind Sans’ leg across the room. Sans was talking with Asgore about something. Frisk pulled on the bottom of Sans’ shorts to get his attention, then started signing about something you couldn’t understand. She kept pointing at you and then at the kitchen door with a big smirk. Sans started blushing and shook his head at her. She wiggled her eyebrows. Frisk noticed you looking and waved; Sans looked over at you and awkwardly waved as well. You could’ve sworn you saw him glare at her. You turned back towards your conversation with a chuckle. They were so cute.

After a little while, Asgore called for the Secret Santa unwrapping to begin. You all gathered on the floor in front of the fireplace near the tree. You sat next to Papyrus on one side and Undyne on the other. Frisk happily handed each person's gift to them. Papyrus, being the most enthusiastic, was chosen to open his gift first. It was a wonderfully large puzzle book, with exotic and complicated puzzles on every page. He hugged it tight and was practically bouncing in excitement. Everyone went around the circle continuing to open their gifts. Asgore got a handmade sweater that said “Best Dad Ever”; Napstablook got a new hat; Muffet got a bright blue tea set; Grillby got some fancy cookware; Toriel got your gift; Alphys got an action figure from an anime she really loved; Sans got a fuzzy blanket which he immediately wrapped himself in; Mettaton got some fancy cologne; Frisk got a onesie that was styled like a skeleton; Undyne got a spear-polishing set; and you got a new makeup kit, an expensive one. Because he was so hardcore avoiding your eye, you could tell it was from Mettaton. You would be sure to hug him later.

Papyrus was the first to begin the Christmas carols as he leapt to his feet and began with the first lyrics to “Santa Baby”. Everyone started laughing, and he and Mettaton even attempted to (poorly) dance. You didn’t want to know how many glasses of eggnog each of them had already had.

Toriel declared it was time for dinner and pulled out a large honey ham. This was followed with some mashed potatoes, freshly baked croissants, steamed carrots and asparagus, and rotisserie chicken. Your stomach growled. Frisk made sure to sit on one side of you, and Papyrus on the other. Papyrus already seemed to consume too much eggnog, as he was swaying back and forth while humming “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” to himself, his shoulders bumping against yours on occasion. You caught Frisk on more than once trying to spoon her carrots onto your plate, and Papyrus almost spilled some gravy onto you. It was a bit more hectic of a dinner—seeing as you were practically taking care of two children—but it was still enjoyable. By the end of the meal, Papyrus sobered up and Frisk was so full she lost some of her bouncy energy.

Dessert was comprised of fruitcake, ice cream, and apple pie a la mode, along with absurd amounts of eggnog. You were soon full and groggy as you downed the last of your nog. You were decently tipsy even as Asgore refilled your glass.

After cleaning up and downing yet another glass, it was clear you probably should sit down, and you weren’t the only one in that state. Practically everyone was in a stuffed and happy mood. Frisk, Flowey, and Napstablook were curled up with Papyrus on the couch, Grillby and Muffet were chuckling by the fire. Asgore and Toriel were having light conversation with Mettaton. But where was Sans?

You got angry at yourself for thinking about this.

And you got even angrier with yourself for pacing down the hallway in search of him.

He was standing alone in the back hallway, propped up against the wall. His eyes were practically glued to his phone. He was so completely focused that he jumped a bit when you leaned up against the wall next to him. “Hey, Sans.” You were a decent bit tipsy, so you made note to slow down on the current drink in your hand.

“hey, jay.” He put his phone into his pocket and turned towards you. “having a nice time tonight?”

“You bet!” You smiled. “And you?”

“mmhmm.” He nodded. You were quiet for a few beats. You both weren’t really looking at each other. “who’s gift did you get?” he asked.

“I got Toriel’s. What about you?”

“i got napstablook’s.”

“It was a good gift. He loves hats, and that’s a great one to add to his collection.”  
“yea, i was debating on a new headset for his music recording, but mettaton told me that that’s what he got him.”

“Mettaton couldn’tve made it more obvious he got my gift,” you chuckled.

“that’s the truth. it seemed as if half of the stuff he got you was his own brand, too!”

“You’re right!” You both started cackling in laughter. In comparison to his normally stern self, he was acting a lot more lighthearted. You noted the empty glass of eggnog at his feet; maybe he was a little tipsy, too?

Conversation died for another minute or so. “You seemed, ahh, a little lonely over here,” you said quietly. You shrugged and looked away. “Everything going okay?”

“i’m just…i’m dealing with some of my problems.” You were taken aback with his forwardness. This was the first time he had mentioned any of his…problems.

“And are they being…handled, I guess?”

“to an extent, yea.” He shrugged. “i can handle them.”

You smiled at him. “I’m glad.” You lightly pushed his shoulder. “And I’m glad you can talk to me about it.” He hadn’t really said much, but at least it was something. He looked over at you.

You thought you could see him blush. Maybe it was from the eggnog.

“me too,” he said softly. He pushed your shoulder back. You couldn’t help but blush. You felt thankful for the dimmer lighting in the hallway here.

You opened your mouth to respond, but a squeaky voice from down the hall interrupted. “S-Sans!” It was Alphys. “I, umm, I need to talk to you!” On one hand you were thankful she came back here. Your stomach was in knots over the tension you were feeling. On the other hand, maybe that tension wasn’t so bad.

“yea, alphys. i was waiting for you. can i talk to you later, jay?” Your heart dropped a little. So he hadn’t really been lonely, he’d been waiting. You nodded understandingly and smiled, though, and you started to back away into the front room again.

You saw Papyrus snuggling up with the younger ones (Napstablook had apparently left the cuddle pile) and you casually laid alongside them, closing your eyes. You weren’t too drowsy, but you were full and pretty happy you had such a great time with friends tonight. You were happy that Sans was getting some of his problems solved. Tonight could be checked off as a happy night.

You felt someone lay a large blanket over the pile of all of you, then your forehead was batted with a furry kiss. “Goodnight,” you heard Toriel whisper, and you felt yourself smile in appreciation.

And alongside some of your best friends, you slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.


End file.
